Jeff Briggs, Green Plains Chief Operating Officer

Hearing in the Heartland Testimony

June 25, 2015

Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to be here today. 

I am Jeff Briggs, Chief Operating Officer for Green Plains Inc.

Green Plains began with our first 50 million gallon ethanol plant that began 

production in August of 2007 in Shenandoah, Iowa. Since then, Green Plains 

has grown to 12 ethanol plants in 6 states with over 850 employees 

In addition: 

 We have become the 3rd largest consolidated owner of ethanol 

production assets in North America with over 1 billion gallons of 

ethanol production capacity. 

 We process 10 million tons of corn, which is 2 times more corn than 

China imports from the USA.

 We produce 3 million tons of livestock feed and 250 million pounds of 

corn oil for feed and biodiesel. 

 We generate over $3 billion in revenues and have been profitable the 

last 6 years.

A growing and predictable biofuels market has been a driver in enhancing our 

ethanol assets, and has allowed us to make investments in other businesses, 

like our cattle feedlot in Kismet, Kansas. 

We continue to invest in our plants to make them run more efficient, using 

less to get more, like Selective Milling Technology that improves the amount 

of ethanol we produce out of each bushel of corn, and corn oil extraction 

technology that creates another product and income stream for us. 

The RFS should be used as the vehicle for higher ethanol blends in the U.S.. It 

has been the most successful energy legislation this country has had. It has 

reduced our dependence on foreign oil, cleaned the air we breathe, created 

jobs across rural America and created a strong secondary market for farmers 
to sell their corn. More ethanol into our fuel supply is a positive for not just 

the Midwest but the U.S.

As an industry, we have successfully introduced higher blends into the market 

place, proving that there is no “blend wall.” E15 is growing in availability to 

drivers on the road today and more auto manufacturers are certifying E15 for 

use in their new models. More and more retailers like Kum & Go, Mapco and 

Sheetz, Cenex, Murphy and Minnoco, have committed to providing their 

consumers with the opportunity to choose which blend of fuel works best for 

them. Moving to E15 means more jobs here at home, more octane in your gas 

tank, an even clearer burning fuel, and more importantly giving consumers 

the right to choose. 

I would ask how does a country like Brazil, where they drive the same Fords, 

Chevys and Toyotas we do here, blend 27% ethanol in their motor fuel and 

have for over a decade and the U.S. cannot get past 10%? The answer is Big 

Oil’s death grip on U.S. consumer.

Don’t undermine our ability to invest in domestic fuel alternatives that are a 

catalyst to our economy. Don’t deprive consumers of choices at the pump by 

ceding market share to Big Oil. The real mandate in this country is the 90% 

petroleum fuel mandate in the U.S. that the oil industry has in place and will 

stop at nothing to protect. Efforts to replace fossil fuels with domestic 

renewable fuels will continue to benefit the economy, environment and public 

health.

At Green Plains, we want to continue to invest in jobs; technology and value 

added processing of cleaner burning, renewable fuels. It’s important to use 

those fuels domestically as intended by the 2007 RFS and important to 

allocate capital in a market that is growth oriented and predictable. 

We stand ready to make additional investments in biofuel production and 

technology; we stand ready to support biofuel infrastructure growth through 

market development partnerships with private and public partners who 

support the fuel choices among consumers. Those choices are readily 

available if the RFS is maintained.

On behalf of Green Plains and myself, I want to thank you again for the 

opportunity to express support for the RFS.