The American Motorcyclist Association has expressed concern to the EPA about a type of ethanol/gas blend called E15 getting into motorcycles and ATV’s. E15 is not approved by manufacturers of motorcycles and ATV’s and may cause damage to their engines. Motorcyclists use a blend called E10, but hoses that use both blends can still end up getting the E15 into motorcycles. The AMA wrote a letter to the EPA explaining this problem.

In the letter, the VP of AMA’s government relations asked EPA administrator Lisa Jackson what to do about pumps that dispense both kinds of gasoline. What is the EPA’s brilliant plan to solve this problem? Mandate a minimum purchase, of course! It’ll only be required at “certain places”, they add. Says the EPA:

EPA requires that retail stations that own or operate blender pumps either dispense E15 from a dedicated hose and nozzle if able or, in the case of E15 and E10 being dispensed from the same hose, require that at least four gallons of fuel be purchased to prevent vehicles and engines with smaller fuel tanks from being exposed to gasoline-ethanol blended fuels containing greater than 10 volume percent ethanol. Additionally, EPA is requiring that retail stations that offer E10 and E15 from the same hose and nozzle use additional labeling to inform consumers about the minimum purchase requirement.

The problem with that? Well, aside from the EPA having no right to mandate how much gas someone buys, it’s also well known that motorcycle and ATV tanks are much smaller than cars and trucks. Forcing a minimum purchase not only doesn’t solve anything, it really makes things worse. But what else would you expect from a gargantuan government agency?