Governor Pataki, who in his State of the State address this year took credit for establishing New York as a national leader in environmental protection, has recently accepted a $50,000 contribution from a company that the federal government has accused of being one of the nation’s worst polluters.

The Renco Group, a holding company owned by Ira Rennert, made the contribution to the governor’s Virginia-based political action committee, 21st Century Freedom, which Mr. Pataki established in 1999 with an eye toward running for president. The $50,000 was received on April 27, according to records filed with the Virginia State Board of Elections.

The Renco Group, which owns lead, steel, and coal companies, has long been targeted by federal agencies for its alleged failure to comply with pollution laws.

Last year, the Justice Department sued U.S. Magnesium, one of the affiliate companies, for allegedly dumping carcinogenic chemicals in ditches and ponds near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The company, when it was called MagCorp, was also sued in 2001 by the government, which accused it of releasing dioxins and hexachlorobenzene — a chemical that sticks to soil and was used in pesticides until it was banned — into the environment. Renco’s Doe Run smelter has also run afoul of federal air quality standards.

The company on its Web site said each of its affiliated companies “has improved upon the environmental record it had under previous ownership.”

The company’s environmental record stands in sharp contrast to the policies promoted by Mr. Pataki, whose administration has preserved nearly 1 million acres of land during his tenure, reduced pollution in state rivers, and has pressed for energy initiatives that would increase the use of alternative fuels.

A spokesman for the governor did not respond to an inquiry about the Renco contribution, but did point out that the Democratic front-runner to replace Mr. Pataki as governor, Eliot Spitzer, accepted a $50,000 contribution from Mr. Rennert. An official for Renco Group did not reply to a call for comment.

Mr. Rennert, a press-shy philanthropist, recently built a house in Long Island that, at 100,000 square feet, is twice the size of the White House.

By registering his PAC in Virginia, Mr. Pataki is allowed to take advantage of the state’s less stringent campaign finance regulations. Under New York election law, corporations may give a maximum of $5,000 annually to political committees or races. That amount can be spread to more than one candidate or committee, but cannot exceed $5,000. Virginia does not impose such a limit.

It’s not the first time that Renco Group money has been a source of controversy in New York politics.

Mr. Rennert in 2000 contributed $100,000 to a soft-money committee supporting Mayor Giuliani’s candidacy for Senate against Hillary Clinton.

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign accused Mr. Giuliani, who would later drop out of the race, of taking money from a man she called “the biggest polluter in America.” A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, Howard Wolfson, said at the time: “Rudy Giuliani should do the right thing and return this toxic contribution.” New York’s mayor refused to do so.

Mr. Pataki’s PAC also accepted a $25,000 contribution in February from the Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, which pushed for legislation that would allow less experienced correction officers and security officials at mental hospitals to be eligible for a half-pay plan reserved for those with at least 25 years of experience. The change would cost the state $70 million. The bill was passed by the Legislature in June and has been submitted to the governor for his signature.