Robert Hartwell '69, Vermont State Senator
Thursday, May 20, 2010, 11:10 a.m.
“America at the Crossroads: Accepting the Climate Change Challenge”
Robert Hartwell earned a degree in government from Lawrence in 1969. Following a long and successful career as a labor attorney, Hartwell retired from practicing law in 2002 to pursue his interests in community service and real estate. Four years later he sought, and was elected to, the Vermont State Senate.
As a member of the senate committee on natural resources and energy, Hartwell was instrumental in the passage of Act 92, the most comprehensive energy legislation ever enacted in Vermont. As the bill’s co-sponsor, he also played a leading role in the passage of Act 198, which placed Vermont’s groundwater in the public trust and regulated large-scale water withdrawals, such as those by water bottling companies.
His passion for environmental protection and land stewardship led to trustee positions with the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont River Conservancy. He is a former director of the organization Vermonters for a Clean Environment.
