EPA Finalizes Rules for Electronic Manifest System (RCRA)
Wednesday 12 February 2014 at 8:50 pm.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is establishing new requirements that will authorize the use of electronic manifests (or e-Manifests) as a means to track off-site shipments of hazardous waste from a generator's site to the site of the receipt and disposition of the hazardous waste. This final rule also implements certain provisions of the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, Public Law 112-195, which directs EPA to establish a national electronic manifest system (or e-Manifest system), and to impose reasonable user service fees as a means to fund the development and operation of the e-Manifest system.
This final rule is effective as a final agency action on August 6, 2014. However, the implementation and compliance date for these regulations will be delayed until such time as the e-Manifest system is shown to be ready for operation and the schedule of fees for manifest related services has been announced.
Upon completion of the e-Manifest system, the electronic manifest documents authorized by this final regulation will be available to manifest users as an alternative to the paper manifest forms, to comply with federal and state requirements respecting the use of the hazardous waste manifest. Users who elect to opt out of the electronic submittal to the e-Manifest system may continue to use the paper manifest to track their shipments during transportation, which then will be submitted by the designated facility for inclusion in the e-Manifest system. EPA recognizes that there will be a period of transition to electronic submittals and the Agency will, as we implement e-Manifest, assess what measures might be effective to expedite the transition from paper manifests to electronic manifests. This final regulation further clarifies those electronic signature methods that the Agency recommends or executing electronic manifests in the first generation of the national e-Manifest system. This regulation also specifies how issues of public access to manifest information will be addressed when manifest data are submitted and processed electronically. Finally, this regulation announces, consistent with the mandate of the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, that the final electronic manifest requirements promulgated today will be implemented in all states on the same effective date for the national e-Manifest system. Authorized states must adopt program revisions equivalent to and consistent with today's federal requirements, but EPA will implement these electronic manifest regulations unless and until the states are fully authorized to implement them in lieu of EPA.
This regulation does not affect or alter existing RCRA regulatory exemptions from the manifest requirement, e.g., the exemption for conditionally exempt small quantity generators at 40 CFR 261.5; the exemption for small quantities of hazardous waste reclaimed under reclamation agreements per 40 CFR 262.20(e); or the exemption for universal waste shipments in 40 CFR Part 273.