CHARLESTON, W.Va. - State Delegate Gary Howell would like West Virginia to prohibit the sale of E15 because the higher ethanol blend could harm more than 500,000 resident vehicles, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.

Howell??s proposal requests the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to forbid selling any gasoline with more than 10 percent ethanol until the agency looks into how the new blend might affect engine parts.

Currently, almost every gasoline station in the state sell E10, and some retailers are asking the agency and Congress to let them sell E15. Howell, who owns and operates Howell Automotive, which sells auto parts through the mail, said the introduction of E10 coincided with more business for older-model auto parts.

He??s pegged ethanol as the reason because the fuel burns hotter than regular gasoline. "I know that the higher alcohol content starts to cause problems, especially in stuff that's not designed for it," said Howell. "The internal engine parts with aluminum do not have the coating to survive the high content."

If E10 can cause problems, then E15 will do more damage. The 10 percent ethanol blend also damages small engines. "E10 itself is causing problems," said Howell. "You're seeing more problems with E10 in power equipment, lawnmowers, weed-whackers, even outboard motors."

"We are concerned about E15," Janet Vineyard with the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association told NACS Daily. "Our primary concerns about E15 relate to retailer liability, quality survey regulations and infrastructure compatibility."

Only a handful of West Virginia stations sell gas without any ethanol. West Virginia does not require retailers to sell E10 fuel.