Former Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.) want Congress to pass new, wide-ranging energy legislation.

Dorgan and Lott, who chair the Washington, D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center's Strategic Energy Policy Initiative, noted at a Feb. 27 briefing that the last comprehensive energy measure was enacted in 2007. They said the time is ripe to work on a new bill.

Lott said, "We have a unique opportunity to work with Congress to produce a bill." The center's energy group released a report that the ex-lawmakers said could form the basis of a blueprint for congressional action.

The report, which follows an analysis by the initiative's 20-member board, includes more than 50 recommendations for the president and Congress to consider as the U.S. develops its national energy policy. The recommendations include a new National Energy Security Council, chaired by the Energy secretary, to oversee a quadrennial energy review; more funds for research and development; and an "all of the above" energy-source strategy.