This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington • President Donald Trump has vowed to revive the coal industry and regularly promises to "put our miners back to work." But one of his top White House advisers apparently does not share Trump's affinity for coal.
Economic adviser Gary Cohn says, "Coal doesn't even really make that much sense anymore as a feedstock."
Cohn made the remarks while briefing reporters Thursday night on Air Force One. He singled out natural gas as "such a cleaner fuel" and said the U.S. could become a "manufacturing powerhouse and still be environmentally friendly" by exporting natural gas and investing in wind and solar energy.
The comments are at odds with those by his boss, who has championed coal and unraveled a number of Obama-era energy policies.