James D Coan
School: Princeton University Member of:
Expo Cocktail Reception
Reducing our dependence on foreign, harmful, and unsustainable energy
Center on Energy and the Environment
Northeastern Schools
Princeton University Contact info: | Login Email: | jcoan(AT)princeton.edu | | Contact Email: | jcoan(AT)princeton.edu | | Permanent Email: | jcoan(AT)princeton.edu | | Cellphone: | 240-676-5325 | | Landline: | 301-933-9488 | | AIM: | hsjcoan |
Policy interests: Economic policy, Energy, Environment, Science and innovation
Bio:
I’m James Coan, a juniior at Princeton who grew up in Kensington, Maryland just north of Washington, D.C. My interest in oil and energy policy began in 10th grade when I was the lead designer of a car for the DaimlerChrysler Build Your Dream Vehicle Competition. That summer, I worked for Sentech, Inc., an energy and environmental consulting firm. I interned at the company the next summer and created, organized, and ran a contest about fuel cells for fellow high school students my senior year in high school. For the past two summers, I have worked in the Transportation Program for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington, D.C. I created webpages with general energy and oil statistics the first summer and a detailed report about the possibilities for biofuel development this past summer vacation. These opportunities have allowed me to understand many alternative energy and efficient transportation technology and policy options that try to mitigate global warming and reduce dependence on foreign oil. My expertise is transportation oil policy, and most of my policy proposals for the Roosevelt Institution concern reducing oil consumption of passenger vehicles.
My involvement with Roosevelt began the first semester of freshman year as I was developing my first policy proposal, the positive-incentive gasoline (PIG) tax. The PIG tax tried to incorporate social pressure to improve efficiency because a fall in consumption would cause the tax to fall, and I presented the idea at the Policy Expo in August 2006. Last year I became the organizer of the Roosevelt Center for Energy and Environment, the only policy center on campus. Our projects are listed at the end of the bio. Recently, I was named president of Roosevelt here, and although I will try to get other students to start their own policy centers, my duties will roughly stay the same.
At Princeton, I am a major in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs. My focus is on energy and oil policy and specifically how they can be used for greater change. For instance, instituting a carbon tax may require a philosophical change toward taxing consumption instead of work and alterations to a number of other taxes such as payroll, income, and the earned income tax credit. Also, I want to study how contests for technological development like the one Richard Branson just created should be set up in the future and whether the country would benefit from the federal government sponsoring contests like it.
Other than oil and energy, I have academic interest in economics, particularly fiscal policy and international trade, and I enjoy learning about the science of the global environment. I am the editor-in-chief on the Princeton Progressive Nation, the moderate-to-liberal publication on campus. When I need to take a break from thinking about these issues, I run, lift weights, dance, or relax at the Princeton eating club I just joined.
Current Projects for the Center for Energy and Environment:
1. Creating an artistic representation of how to reduce imports of foreign oil
2. Drafting proposals for the 25 Ideas Publication
3. Inviting experts to speak at weekly meetings
4. Finding citizens and religious, political, and business leaders to sign a statement saying “Global warming is an important issue, and when I consider candidates for the House of Representatives, Senate, and Presidency, I expect to support those who back a strong mandatory plan to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, likely including a cap-and-trade program.” This project is called “Turning the Page on Global Warming,” and we have talked with the architecture department on campus to create a 6-foot-tall book that the prominent individuals can sign in outdoor “signing ceremonies” this summer. So far, Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rev. Ron Sider, Ph.D., President of Evangelicals for Social Action, and David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy, have all agreed to sign.
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