A comprehensive Senate energy bill suffered a blow today when the chamber refused to limit debate on a $32.1 billion tax package proposed by the Finance Committee.

But the core of the bill (HR 6) remained alive as the Senate then voted 61-32 to limit debate on a substitute amendment containing the main provisions in the legislation.

The cloture motion on the tax provisions fell a few votes short of the required 60 votes at 57-36. Democrats actually had enough Republicans to help reach the threshold, but Mary Landrieu, D-La., voted no and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., was out of town awaiting the birth of a grandchild.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., switched his vote to no, preserving his right to offer a motion to reconsider, and said Democratic leaders would push forward with the legislation.

“The tax package makes it tremendously better,” Reid said. “But we are going to go ahead with it even if that doesn’t bear fruit.”

Democratic leaders also were expected to unveil the latest language on boosting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards.

The CAFE debate, along with a Democratic amendment to create a federal mandate for renewable electricity, remains one of the biggest obstacles to passage of the broad energy bill.