The conservative American Future Fund began an ad attack this week calling on President Trump to fire Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
“For the good of the country, Pruitt must go,” the ad said while Pruitt was touring farm states.
The group has ties to ethanol supporters in Iowa and has been called a “dark-money” group, but it says its primary purpose is to “promote conservative free-market principles.”
Pruitt was visiting farm states all week to express support for the EPA’s ethanol program, the Renewable Fuel Standard, when the ad was launched.
Part of the reason the EPA chief took the trip was to try to mend fences with the farmers, who have been furious over the dozens of waivers he has granted to oil refiners to let them skip blending ethanol, as required, so they could cut costs.
Both farm groups and the renewable fuel industry are suing Pruitt over the ethanol waivers, which they call illegal.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a top supporter of ethanol, told reporters Thursday that he has not decided on whether to call for Pruitt to resign.
“You know how dissatisfied I am on the ethanol issue, not so dissatisfied on other actions he has taken,” Grassley said.
Grassley, like other Republicans, wants to see what Pruitt has to say about many of the ethics allegations going back to early spring. More than a dozen investigations are underway over Pruitt’s behavior.
