Adviser differs with coal-loving president

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The president’s chief economic adviser is casting doubt on the future of U.S. coal, saying it “doesn’t really make that much sense anymore as a feedstock,” directly contradicting President Donald Trump’s repeated promises to revive the struggling coal industry.

Briefing reporters Thursday night on Air Force One, Gary Cohn singled out natural gas as “such a cleaner fuel.” By exporting more natural gas and investing in wind and solar energy, the U.S. “can be a manufacturing powerhouse and still be environmentally friendly,” Cohn said.

Cohn’s comments were at odds with his boss, who campaigned as coal’s champion and decried what he and other Republicans called a “war on coal” by former President Barack Obama.

As president, Trump has unraveled a number of Obama-era energy restrictions, including a landmark plan to restrict climate-changing emissions from coal-fired power plants. Trump also has reversed an Obama plan to prevent coal-mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams and lifted a moratorium on coal-mining leases on federal lands.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a longtime coal advocate, said he was taken aback by Cohn’s remarks, which sounded more in line with the Obama administration than Trump.

“I completely disagree with his statement,” Manchin said.