Byron L. Dorgan

Byron L. Dorgan is a BPC senior fellow and co-chair of its Energy Project. He was a congressman and senator for North Dakota for 30 years before retiring from the Senate in 2011. He served in the Senate leadership for 16 years, first as assistant Democratic floor leader and then as chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee.

Dorgan was chairman of Senate committees and subcommittees on the issues of energy, aviation, appropriations, water policy, and Indian affairs.

He is an adjunct and visiting professor at Georgetown University lecturing on energy, economic policy, and political affairs. He works part time as a senior policy advisor with the Washington, D.C. law firm Arent Fox. He is also chairing a new program at the Aspen Institute—The Center for Native American Youth—that assists Native American children with an emphasis on teen suicide prevention.

Dorgan is the author of four books including a New York Times bestseller, Take this Job and Ship It, and a second book released in 2009, Reckless… How Debt, Deregulation and Dark Money Nearly Bankrupted America (And How We Can Fix It). He co-authored the novel Blowout that was published in 2012, and in 2013 he released a second book in this “eco-thriller” series titled Gridlock.

Dorgan received a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of North Dakota, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Denver.