Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Frank Jones, a cotton grower from Lamesa, Texas and I am currently serving as chairman of the NCC's Environmental Task Force. It's my pleasure to open this session on cotton's commitment to the environment. While environmental concerns are generally not the prime topic of conversation around the local coffee shop, it is one of the most critical areas to the viability of production agriculture and the cotton industry.

This industry has always understood its commitment to the environment through resource conservation and the establishment of sound environmental policies and programs. This commitment has led to significant and innovative changes in our production technology during the past 20 years. Environmental concerns have required a greater role in developing and implementing national environmental policy. This is where the National Cotton council is heavily involved on behalf of our industry.

Our commitment to the environment must always be balanced with our commitment to our industry's economic viability. On the legislative and regulatory side, it all begins with a sound strategy. As an old football coach said, "the best defense is a good offense." That is what the cotton industry has done -- taken the offensive in meeting our environmental challenges. My committee thought that its job would be done with passage of the 1990 Farm Bill, but other issues crop up such as the Coastal Zone Management Act and reauthorization of the Clean Water Act. So to borrow another sports cliche, "It ain't over till its over."