$100,000 gift led the attack on ethanol

Poultry titan gave Perry group funds, then work for waiver began, records show

July 1, 2008, 11:45PM
By R.G. RATCLIFFE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau


AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry's request for a waiver of federal corn-based ethanol production mandates was prompted by a March meeting he had with East Texas poultry producer Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, who six days later gave $100,000 to the Republican Governors Association chaired by Perry.

In the three weeks following that donation, Perry's staff began preparing to submit the renewable fuel standards waiver request to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, according to 596 pages of records obtained from the governor's office by the Houston Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act.

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