Department of Environment & Conservation
Robert Martineau, Commissioner

 » Commissioner's Message

Robert “Bob” Martineau was selected seventh Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam in January 2011. Martineau’s intellect, drive, commitment and affinity for Tennessee are evident in his work over the past 18 months as commissioner. He guided TDEC through its comprehensive Top to Bottom Review, and the results from this department assessment produced a Customer Focused Government implementation plan emphasizing:

• outstanding customer service,
• outreach and proactive education, and
• effective partnerships to strengthen environmental protection in Tennessee.

His environmental leadership at TDEC was recognized at the national level in August 2012, as he was elected by his peers as Secretary-Treasurer of the Environmental Council of the States, the national association of state environmental officers. This is the first time a head of TDEC has been elected to any top leadership post at ECOS. He also co-authored a newly published book “Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules.”

Commissioner Martineau has spent more than 25 years as an attorney in the field of environmental law. This includes seven years of service in the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. EPA in Washington, D.C. (1988-1994) and 16 years as a partner in private practice at the Waller Lansden law firm in Nashville. He was recognized in Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA for his expertise in environmental law. He was co-editor of American Bar Association’s The Clean Air Act Handbook and has authored a variety of substantive articles on critical environmental topics. In private practice, Martineau helped clients, including business and local government, anticipate issues proactively, navigate permit processes, solve problems and establish effective environmental management programs.

Martineau is a member of the Air and Waste Management Association and a former council member of the Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law of the American Bar Association. He is a graduate of Leadership Nashville and also active in the community, currently serving on the Board of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. He is past president of the Tennessee Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and First Steps.

Commissioner Martineau earned his law degree at the University of Cincinnati and holds a bachelors degree from St. John’s University (Minnesota). While he doesn’t have much free time these days, he enjoys an occasional round of golf at any of the Tennessee State Parks’ golf courses and traveling on the weekends with his wife, Pamela Eddy, to support his teenage daughter’s softball teams.