The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing
regulatory amendments to the hazardous waste manifest regulations to establish
a date for sunsetting use of paper manifests in favor of electronic manifests.
Phasing out paper manifests would unlock the estimated $28.5 million annual
savings through decreased burden to manifest users while also increasing human
health and environmental protection through better tracking of hazardous waste
and greater transparency for regulators and the public. The proposed rule also
introduces several conforming amendments to existing regulations. These include
new registration requirements with the EPA's e-Manifest system for RCRA
hazardous waste transporters, certain PCB waste generators, and PCB waste
transporters. Additionally, the rule updates exception reporting requirements
for very small quantity generators (VSQGs) managing hazardous waste from
episodic events, as well as for healthcare facilities and reverse distributors
handling hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. It also revises discrepancy reporting
requirements for owners and operators of hazardous waste facilities operating
under standardized permits. Lastly, the proposed rule includes four technical
corrections to the import and export requirements to correct EPA's mailing
address, remove obsolete text, and correct a citation associated with manifest
corrections for export shipments. Comments must be received on or before 4 May
2026. POC is Bryan Groce (email:groce.bryan@epa.gov; phone: (202) 566-0339)