Per 5 CFR
1320.3(f)(1), the agency is reminded to display a current OMB
Control number on all forms and instructions, both paper and
electronic versions. In addition, the agency must adhere to
1320.7(b) and provide a statement to the public on all forms and
instructions, both paper and electronic versions. Upon
resubmission, the agency should re-estimate the burden for paper
and electronic submissions based on the usage from
respondents.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
05/31/2019
36 Months From Approved
05/31/2019
2,020,017
0
1,763,362
2,639,210
0
3,473,577
38,784,093
0
3,067,511
Section 3002(a)(5) of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) directs the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to “...establish requirements
respecting...use of a manifest system and any other reasonable
means necessary to assure that all such hazardous waste generated
is designated for treatment, storage, or disposal, and arrives at
treatment, storage, or disposal facilities...for which a permit has
been issued...” Under this authority, EPA published regulations for
a manifest system on February 26, 1980 (45 FR 12724). EPA
established requirements for manifest completion, transmittal, and
recordkeeping for hazardous waste generators at 40 CFR Part 262,
Subpart B, for transporters at Part 263, Subpart B, and for
treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs) at Parts 264
and 265, Subpart E. EPA also requires the use of the Uniform
Hazardous Waste Manifest (UHWM or manifest). Since then, EPA has
modified the manifest regulations on a number of occasions. On
February 7, 2014, EPA finalized a rule to establish new
requirements that will authorize the use of electronic manifests
(or e-Manifests) as a means to track offsite shipments of hazardous
waste from a generator’s site to the site of the receipt and
disposition of the hazardous waste (79 FR 7518-7563). The final
e-Manifest rule also implemented the provisions of the Hazardous
Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, P.L. 112-195, which
directs EPA to establish a national electronic manifest system (or
e-Manifest system). EPA is now finalizing a rule (called the “final
fee rule”) establishing the methodology the Agency will use to
determine and revise the user fees applicable to the electronic and
paper manifests to be submitted to the national electronic manifest
system (e-Manifest system) that EPA is developing under the
Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act. After the
e-Manifest system’s implementation date, certain users of the
hazardous waste manifest will be required to pay a prescribed fee
for each electronic and paper manifest they use and submit to the
national system so that EPA can recover the costs of developing and
operating the national e-Manifest system. EPA is also finalizing
several amendments to the regulations governing the use of
electronic hazardous waste manifests and the completion of
manifests. This ICR describes the hazardous waste manifest
regulations, including the e-Manifest final rule and final fee
rule. It also estimates the annual hour and cost burden to
respondents and EPA under these requirements for both paper and
electronic manifests.
This ICR estimates an 834,367
hour decrease from the currently approved ICR. This decrease
results from both adjustments due to Agency discretion and program
changes as follows. The adjustments due to Agency discretion result
from the fact that EPA revised the number of generators preparing
manifests for federal hazardous waste shipments as well as the
number of manifests per generator in this ICR. The program changes
result from the fact that the previous ICR considered only the
existing paper-based manifest system, whereas this ICR addresses
the existing paper-based manifest system as well as to electronic
manifesting, which results in substantial savings to respondents.
These savings are partially offset, however, because the e-Manifest
Act extends the scope of the e-Manifest program to wastes subject
to manifest tracking under state law. As such, the scope of this
ICR was broadened to include electronic manifests accompanying
state hazardous waste. Further, this ICR estimates user fees for
paper and electronic manifests in accordance with the final fee
rule (fees are reflected as O&M costs in this ICR).
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.