### Testimony of Wesley Spurlock Corn Producers Association of Texas

on June 25, 2015 before the Environmental Protection Agency

Hearing on Renewable Fuel Standard: Proposed Renewable Fuel Volumes for Calendar Years 2014, 2015 and 2016

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Wesley Spurlock , and I am speaking against the propose d renewable fuel volumes for calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016.

I live in Stratford, Texas, a small town in the Texas Panhandle, I farm nearly 10,000 acres of corn, cotton, wheat and grain sorghum

. I currently serve on the board of directors for the Corn Producers Association of Texas, and am speaking on behalf of our as sociation’s membership and myself

. While the oil and gas industry may play a prominent role in my state’s economy, ethanol and renewable fuels are important not only to myself and other growers , but to our state’s economy as a whole. The renewable fuel sector generates $12.6 billion of total economic output in Texas annually. This sector also supports 53,871 jobs and generates $2.9 billion in wages annually, contributing $563.5 mil lion in federal taxes.

From an environmental standpoint, it could be argue d that no one has a greater stake in looking out for and caring for our natural resources than farmers . I am a fourth generation farmer, and have two younger generations that have recently returned to farm . This farming legacy is something I cherish and ho pe to continue passing down to future generations

– I can only do that by preserving our family’s land and natural resources.

By implementing better management strategies and new technologies I can produce the same bushel of corn my father did with half a s much water

. A recent study shows f armers have decreased irrigation by 53 percent, land use by 30 percent, soil erosion by 67 percent, energy use by 43 percent, and greenhouse

- gas emissions by 36 percent for each bushel of corn

.
However, as I look at the overall sustainability of my farm, I must also consider its economics. As a businessman, this has been tricky in recent months with the price of corn dropping well below the cost of production

. Your agency’s proposal willdisplace nearly 1.5 billio n bushels of corn

– this action will negatively impact the price of corn and drive it further below the cost of production. The se implications reach beyond the farmers’ wallets, and can easily increase go vernment outlays in risk management

– something I th ink everyone in this room can agree we don’t
want.

Texas is the second

- largest agriculture state due to its crop production, as well as its vast livestock industry

. M any Texas farmers are both crop and livestock producers. With this diverse background, I can appreciate the importance of the ethanol market to the agricultural industry as a whole. Even with the growing demand for corn for ethanol, livestock feed remains the largest use for U.S . corn

. While our nation’s farmers have continued to meet this demand for feed, the ethanol industry has introduced a new, arguably equally important, feed for our livestock

– distillers grains.

The availability of DGs displaces approximately 1 billion bushels of corn in livestock rations, providing an efficient, hig h

- quality, and high

- value feed product for livestock produces both domestically and internationally. As such, the effect of ethanol on the cost of feeding livestock is minimal

– as is evident with current corn prices.

The Renewable Fuel Standard in its entirety is an invaluable program to our nation from an economic and environmental standpoint. The RFS pushes our nation to meet and exceed standards that will make America an ideal environment to live in, while encouragi ng positive domestic economic growth.

The proposal put forth by the EPA this year is a huge step back from all the progress gained since the inception of the RFS. I urge the EPA to restore the Renewable Volume Obligations for each year to the statutory amount and maintain a strong methodology.