Written by: Gloria Kosir 

In 1976, Robert “Andy” Andersen (76JD) published his debut comment and note before becoming articles editor in Volume 61 of the Iowa Law Review. Those publications marked the beginning of Andersen’s whirlwind career in federal public service, private practice, and education before he returned to Iowa Law in 2023 as an adjunct faculty member.

Now, 50 years after his first publications and as he readies himself to take a step back from teaching, Andersen has published an article in Volume 111 of the Iowa Law Review. Author of two books and numerous law journal articles, this is the first time in 50 years he published in what he considers his home journal. The article, entitled “Nuclear Power’s Role in Meeting Energy Demand While Combating Global Warming and Climate Change,” draws from nuclear energy history, legal and political disputes, and the bipartisan support that Andersen experienced during his five decades of practicing environmental law. 

Experiences of a lifetime

Andersen’s legal career has revolved around the environment in many distinct facets. From 1980 to 2004, he progressed through several federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Some of Andersen’s fondest memories took him far south of the equator, where he assumed a role as Senior U.S. Representative in Antarctica while working as Deputy General Counsel of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“Reflecting back on everything that I've done in the environmental field, the thing I’m proudest of is the work I did in Antarctica,” Andersen said.

Andersen responded to the 1989 oil spill and environmental emergency caused by an Argentine shipwreck off the coast of Palmer Station, an NSF base.

“We had 250 people at our little station designed for 25 scientists. The main problem was containing the oil spill because we had banded 10,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins, so [the wreck] turned it into a huge research project on the impact of oil that hits the shore and their habitat,” Andersen said.

To mitigate the effects of the spill, Andersen negotiated an emergency international agreement with Argentine officials. He was awarded the NSF’s Meritorious Service Medal, U.S. Navy’s Antarctic Service Medal, and Senior Executive Service’s Presidential Rank Awards of Meritorious and Distinguished Executive for his work in Antarctica and in the United States. 

While in Antarctica, he also developed cradle-to-grave waste management and pollution control plans for all U.S. bases in Antarctica, which were eventually supported and funded by the President and Congress.

Andersen returned to the U.S. with practical experience handling environmental disasters. In 2001, in his role as Chief Counsel of the Corps, he used those experiences to help with the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Andersen inspected with and advised the Corps Command, the FBI, and first responders regarding response, recovery, and restoration activities in New York City and at the Pentagon.

When Andersen left the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and concluded 24 years of public service, Congress flew a flag over the Capitol in his honor. To him, the flag represents a major part of his identity and a trove of notable career moments. 

Service, leadership, and education

Following his federal service, Andersen entered private practice. He also became an educator, where he continued to work as a pioneer in the field—developing and teaching one of the nation’s first graduate courses in environmental security to engineering and law students at George Washington University.

This work—and his desire to continue to support his alma mater—would inevitably lead him back to Iowa Law.

Since graduating from Iowa Law in 1976, Andersen has maintained a great degree of involvement with the college. He is a member of the Iowa Law School Foundation (ILSF) and, with his daughter Erica Andersen (08JD), established a STEM scholarship for incoming Iowa Law students.

However, Andersen was looking for a more creative way to give back to Iowa Law. After his colleagues, Charlotte Beyer Hubbell (76JD) and Fred Hubbell (76JD), contributed a large gift to launch the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI) in 2021, Andersen decided to apply his teaching background to help reinvigorate students’ interest in the practice area.

Since then, he has continued to build innovative courses at Iowa Law, spending the last three years teaching the nation’s only law course covering nuclear energy and the environment. He also teaches courses on environmental disaster law and water pollution control.

Despite being a part-time teacher for the last half of his career, Andersen feels that he’s been an educator since his first supervisory position, approaching each of his job roles as a teacher.

“When I left the government, it was almost like leaving a part of [myself],” Andersen said. “I’ve always considered myself a public servant. I consider (teaching) a public service and a part of my identity.”

This deep sense of connection and fulfillment from his work is felt by his students.

“Professor Andersen’s care for responsible environmental laws is trumped only by his care for his students,” Brennan Murphy, a 3L said, who has taken each of Andersen’s courses. “He challenged us not only to master complex regulatory systems, but to think critically about their human consequences and our role within them.”

Iowa Law student Claire Benson, a 2L, is completing an independent study with Andersen about leadership under the law.  Her project focuses on how local leadership and community organizing has resulted in successful climate reparation outcomes in the United States.

“Working with Professor Andersen on this project has been incredibly inspiring and uplifting, as it has proven to us both that meaningful change is possible with the right leaders,” Benson said. “I admire his lifelong dedication to public service and commitment to empowering others through education.” 

Looking forward

After three years of teaching environmental law at Iowa, Andersen will be stepping back from teaching for a year but will remain available for independent studies and potential remote courses. He plans to spend this next year with his wife, Natalia Andersen, in Arizona, and on his favorite pastimes. Andersen is a self-taught climber and has climbed on all seven continents, including in several dozen parks in the U.S. 

He also intends to prioritize a project that is years in the making: his first novel.

“If I were on my deathbed, it would keep me alive until I have it ready to release,” Andersen said. His novel, Who, by Brave Ascent, is a story of friendship, love, loss, and the impact of unspoken words. “They say to write what you know about, and there’s nothing in the novel that I don’t really believe or have felt.”

Since his first Iowa Law Review publication 50 years ago, Andersen has never forgotten Iowa Law. His latest publication pulls from five decades of practice that shaped national environmental law and policy, including three years as an Iowa Law student, seven as an ISLF member, and three as a faculty member.

“Certainly, I owe everything to the College of Law. Everything flows from that, so I’ve tried to give back in innovative ways including coming back to teach,” Andersen said.