Trump adviser's carbon tax talks alarm conservatives

A coalition of conservative and free-market groups are raising alarm over the possibility that senior White House officials may be entertaining the idea of a carbon tax.

A tax on carbon dioxide is widely seen as an alternative to sector-by-sector climate change regulations such as those the Obama administration sought to implement.

"Our organizations have significant concerns regarding any prospective carbon tax proposal," read a letter sent by the conservative groups to President Trump's economic adviser Gary Cohn on Wednesday.

"Such a policy would place undue economic burdens on American families and businesses by intentionally increasing the cost of the energy they rely on every day."

The letter added that a "carbon tax would also be regressive," which means it would do "the most harm to our nation's economically disadvantaged – and would destroy American jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector."