Washington » Senate Democrats sidestepped a Republican boycott Thursday, pushing a climate bill out of committee in an early step on a long and contentious road to passage.

Other committees still must weigh in on the measure -- one of President Barack Obama's top priorities -- as it makes its way to the Senate floor.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, had delayed the crucial vote for days because of a Republican protest over whether the cost of the legislation had been fully examined. But the California Democrat moved quickly to pass the bill Thursday, which for the first time would set mandatory limits on heat-trapping gases, without any of the seven GOP senators on the panel present. The measure cleared the panel on a 11-1 vote.

Boxer said the Republican demand for more analysis was "duplicative and waste of taxpayer dollars." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has agreed to do a full analysis on the final version of the bill.

"Advancing the bill is a necessary step on the road to garnering the 60 votes we need," said Boxer. "We are pleased that despite the Republican boycott, we have had the will to move this bill forward."

Former Vice President Al Gore, in town to promote his new global warming book, Our Choice , said that he doubted Boxer's move would have any lingering consequences. "She clearly made the right decision and

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because the requested analysis is in fact going to be forthcoming," Gore said.

Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the ranking Republican on the committee, said that the Democrats' action would signal "the death knell" for the bill. .

Of the 11 Democrats present at the vote, only one -- Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. -- voted against the legislation. The "yes" vote of Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., was added after the vote.

Baucus specifically cited the bill's call for a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020. He said he would like to see that target lowered to 17 percent, with a trigger to raise it to 20 if other countries adopted similar measures.

What's next?

Next step » Now the legislation will be merged with legislation written by at least five other Senate panels.

House » The House narrowly passed its version of the climate bill in June.