A coalition of 30 organizations has called on Michigan officials to adopt a new building energy code requiring all new construction to be fully electric, saying eliminating additional use of natural gas is “a critical measure to reduce air pollution and protect the public health.”

Failing to block the use of natural gas in new buildings would lock in greenhouse gas emissions for the future, or force newly built structures to undergo retrofits to meet a 2020 executive order issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) that the state develop a plan to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050, the groups said in a letter to the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The state is looking at an update to its 2015 energy codes.  Any changes must undergo a legislative review process before they can take effect. The departmental rule review process must include public hearings, which have not yet been scheduled.

Final approval of any code changes could be several years away.

The code changes are occurring as the state’s Council on Climate Solutions, created by Whitmer’s order, is continuing to gather information on drafting a carbon neutral plan for the state.   The council has a deadline of this fall to deliver a proposal.

The letter — signed by officials from the Michigan Environmental Council, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, West Michigan Environmental Action, the Grand Rapids NAACP, the City of Ann Arbor and others — argues that heating and cooling buildings through electric heat pumps, along with improved overall construction and insulation standards, improve a house’s overall affordability.

Natural gas appliances can create health hazards inside a house along with impairing overall air quality, the groups argued in the letter.

However, any effort to bar the use of natural gas could face stiff opposition in the Republican-controlled legislature. A bill, HB 4575, prohibiting local governments from banning the use of natural gas has had one committee hearing, where it was backed by the state’s largest utilities as well as construction unions. And CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS), Michigan largest utility, recently announced a plan that would expand the use of solar generation but continue to develop natural gas generation. Michigan is a large producer of natural gas, with most wells in Republican-controlled regions.