June 30 (Bloomberg) -- A House-passed bill favored by President Barack Obama to curtail global warming contains “a lot of crap” that will probably delay approval of the measure this year, Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich said.

It would take a “miracle” for the legislation to pass the Senate before United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen in December, Voinovich said. “You’ve got a bill that is 1,200 pages, and there is just a lot of crap in there,” he said.

The House of Representatives on June 26 approved the measure, which would reduce 2005 fossil fuels emissions 17 percent by 2020. It would also create a “cap-and-trade” system for pollution permits and fund investment in new energy sources.

The proposed emission reductions in the legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, go too far, Voinovich said.

“I think the goal of 17 percent by 2020, even though by European standards is not that high, I think it’s too high for us,” Voinovich said today in an interview during a visit to Riga, Latvia. “So much of the bill is trying to compensate for the fact that they have set it at 17” percent, he said.

Climate-change legislation is a top priority for Obama this year. In a weekend radio address, he said the House plan would transform the nation’s economy and create millions of jobs. On June 29, Obama said he was confident the Senate would follow in the House’s footsteps.

“There is a lot of work yet to be done; but from my perspective, it’s still open,” Voinovich said. “I’m leaving the Senate at the end of next year and I think there is the possibility in getting something done that’s meaningful.”

Democratic Control

Democrats control the Senate 59-40 and may have picked up a crucial 60th vote today with a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that declared Democrat Al Franken the winner over Republican Norm Coleman. It takes 60 votes to cut off debate in the Senate.

Ohio’s two senators, Voinovich and Democrat Sherrod Brown, are among some two dozen senators from industrial and farm states who will be critical to passage of a cap-and-trade plan. More than 80 percent of Ohio’s electricity comes from coal- fired power plants, which are among the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions.

The state’s unemployment rate exceeds the national average. A cap-and-trade bill must protect manufacturers from sharp increases in energy prices and overseas competition from companies operating under less-stringent pollution limits, the senators say.

Delegation to the Balkans

Voinovich is part of a 13-member congressional delegation visiting the Balkans and Baltics this week. The group attended an annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, where the group discussed Afghanistan security, the economic crisis, climate change and other issues.

Senator Benjamin Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, and Representative Alcee Hastings, a Florida Democrat, led the delegation.

In May, Latvian President Valdis Zatlers presented Voinovich with the Order of the Three Stars, the nation’s highest state honor, for his work to expand the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s membership to include Latvia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Eglitis in Riga at aeglitis@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 30, 2009 15:56 EDT