Everyone is probably well aware of the fact that a national electronic manifest system, commonly referred to as e-manifest, is under development. Once the development is complete, generators of hazardous waste will be able to submit the uniform manifest form to the EPA electronically.
If all of the established rules are followed for submission, e-manifests will be the legal equivalent of paper manifests. Generators will have the option to continue to use paper manifests rather than e-manifests, however paper manifests will have to be submitted to the EPA once the e-manifest system is rolled out. This is a change from current submission procedures, which do not require manifest submission to the EPA. According to an update webinar held in November of 2014, the goal is to have the e-manifest system on-line no later than the spring of 2018. A user fee schedule will be established no later than 90 days prior to the roll out.
During the November 2014 webinar, the EPA explained that extensive system testing would be conducted prior to the roll out, with a goal of working out the system quirks prior to implementation. The EPA plans to provide quarterly message updates and bi-annual webinar updates. Stay tuned for additional updates as the e-manifest system comes to fruition!