Democratic leaders in the US Senate walked away empty-handed last week after a highly anticipated debate over climate-change legislation disintegrated into partisan bickering and delaying tactics.

The bill, which would have required a two-thirds cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, died on 6 June on a procedural vote. Not a single amendment was considered, and no substantive votes were cast.

Opponents said the legislation would further increase energy prices and push US jobs overseas. The lowlight came as Republicans invoked an obscure Senate rule to force staff to read the entire 492-page bill aloud over the course of some nine hours.

Few had expected the legislation to pass, but Democrats and environmentalists had hoped for a substantive debate that would lay the groundwork for next year.