Dr. James J. Opaluch

Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics,
University of Rhode Island - estimating the value of coastal resources

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Opaluch is a professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Rhode Island. He received a Ph.D. in Economics and Masters Degree in Statistics both from the University of California, Berkeley and has been actively involved in issues related to natural resource and environmental policy for many years. Dr. Opaluch is an internationally recognized expert in natural resource valuation and damage assessment, and has served as an expert witness in over 20 major natural resource damage assessment cases. Other projects include development of the original Type A model for assessing natural resource damages under CERCLA (incorporated in Federal Regulations); evaluation of the potential social costs of the national five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program; comprehensive assessments of proposed national environmental regulations; development of a methodology for landfill siting for the state of Rhode Island, and estimating uses and values of the Peconic Estuary System as part of the National Estuaries Program. Dr. Opaluch was recently invited to serve on the United Nations Environmental Program's Working Group of Consultative Experts to provide advice and training to policy professionals throughout the world.

Dr. Opaluch has served on a number of national committees, including National Academy of Science panel to assess the OCS Environmental Studies Program, National Academy of Science Panel on PCB Contamination Sites, National Academy of Science committee on wetlands productivity, National Academy of Science committees to assess the adequacy of environmental information on Georges Bank, South Florida, California and Alaska, the US Minerals Management Service Social Science Research Panel, and Governing Board Associate of the American Agricultural Economics Association. Dr. Opaluch has served in a variety of professional capacities, including Associate Editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, President of the Northeast Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, Vice President of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Associate Editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Editorial Board of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review and Director of the Northeast Agricultural and Resource Economics Association. Dr. Opaluch been recipient of various awards, including Research Scientist of the Year at the University of Rhode Island, College of Resource Development, Outstanding Service Award from the Northeast Association of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Outstanding Dissertation Award of the American Agricultural Economics Association and has served as advisor to four Theses that were winners of the American Agricultural Economics Association thesis awards.

Dr. Opaluch as received research support from many private corporations and federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of the Interior, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Opaluch has authored or co-authored numerous papers in refereed journals, including the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, the Rand Journal of Economics, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Land Economics, Applied Economics, Coastal Management, Natural Resource Journal, Marine Resource Economics, and Oil and Chemical Pollution and has written many technical reports and chapters in books. His publications have made important contributions to basic knowledge and to public policy applications on issues of national, international and global significance. His papers are frequently cited in academic journals. The recent national regulations for determining compensation for oil spill damages are based on an approach first suggested by one of Dr. Opaluch's publications. Interamerican Development bank uses an approach for assessing water demand, which is based on another of Dr. Opaluch's publications. He is also frequently asked to make presentations at professional meetings in the US and internationally.