EPA chief Pruitt has 29 percent approval rating: poll

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt has a 29 percent job approval rating, according to a poll released Thursday.

The embattled EPA chief’s approval numbers are well below those of President Trump, who currently sits at a 40 percent approval, according to the survey from left-leaning Public Policy Polling.

The poll, commissioned by progressive super PAC American Bridge, found that a plurality — 43 percent — of those questioned believed Trump should fire Pruitt. About 31 percent of respondents disagreed.

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Pruitt has been in the spotlight over the past few weeks for a number of scandals linked to his spending, including his use of a $50-a-night condo rented from the wife of an energy lobbyist and his approval of a number of sizable raises for EPA employees after they were initially denied by the White House.

Responders who knew more about the details of Pruitt’s controversies were more likely to believe he should be removed from his position at the EPA, the survey found. In the poll, 65 percent of those voters responded that Pruitt should be fired, while only 30 percent think he should remain in office.

Support for the administrator from Republicans polled wasn’t resounding. The poll found that only 50 percent of those questioned approved of Pruitt’s job.

Survey respondents were polled between April 9 and 10. The margin of error for the survey is 3.9 percentage points.