Wyoming's Republican senators helped defeat a cap-and-trade global warming bill this week in the U.S. Senate, putting off the possibility of any action until 2009.

Sens. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi both voiced forceful opposition to the measure, arguing it would have been devastating for Wyoming's economy and for its residents.

Senate Republicans on Friday blocked the bipartisan bill that would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases, pushing debate over what some consider the world's most pressing environmental crisis to next year, for a new Congress and president.

Democratic leaders fell a dozen votes short of getting the 60 needed to end a Republican filibuster on the measure and bring the bill up for a vote, prompting Majority Leader Harry Reid to pull the legislation from consideration.

The 48-36 vote fell short of a majority, but Democrats produced letters from six senators - including both presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain - saying they would have voted for the measure had they been there.

The bill would have capped carbon dioxide coming from power plants, refineries and factories, with a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 71 percent by mid-century.

In a speech to the Senate earlier in the week, Barrasso argued passage of the bill would result in job losses and surging energy prices and would be particularly harmful to Wyoming's economy and families.

Enzi argued in his speech the bill would create huge costs without spurring the innovation necessary to actually reduce greenhouse emissions on the global scale.

For more, see Saturday's Casper Star-Tribune.