&EPA e-Manifest Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery | www.EPA.Gov/e-MANiFEST | December 2020 e-Manifest Fact Sheet: Emergency Response and Cleanup On June 30, 2018, EPA launched a national system for tracking hazardous waste shipments electronically. This system, known as "e-Manifest," modernizes the nation's hazardous waste tracking process while saving valuable time, resources, and dollars for industry and states. EPA established e-Manifest per the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, which Congress enacted into law on October 5, 2012. e-Manifest is a multi-faceted program that includes system development; regulation and policy; implementation and communication; and consultation with the e- Manifest federal advisory committee. What Personnel Need to Know • Emergency response and cleanup personnel may be the signatory on manifests (as the generator) or have contractual agreements where the contractor signs "on behalf of" the generator. • This Fact Sheet provides general information on e- Manifest; implementation of actual response is based on cleanup authorities applicable to the site. • With the launch of EPA's e-Manifest system in June 2018, emergency response and cleanup personnel (or their contractors) have the option of creating and signing manifests electronically. • Receiving facilities must submit the top copy of paper manifests to EPA and pay a user fee for each manifest; the receiving facility could charge this user fee back to the generator. • Current user fees can be found on EPA's site (https://www.epa.gov/e-manifest). • States no longer receive top copies of completed paper manifests (and instead access the final copies via e- Manifest); however, some states may continue to collect generator copies of paper manifests. • EPA encourages emergency response and cleanup personnel to use fully electronic manifests. • Electronic manifests are available to personnel only if the site has access to the internet and both the transporter and receiving facility also use electronic manifests. (Generators should work with these entities to ensure electronic manifests can be used.) • If electronic manifests are not an option, personnel should initiate a paper manifest. Personnel can confirm that the receiving facility will submit the completed paper manifest electronically to EPA (e.g., by uploading an image or "data plus image" in the e-Manifest system). As generators, personnel may create e-Manifest accounts. With an e-Manifest account, responders and contractors, with site permissions, are able to view manifests and participate in the electronic data corrections process supported by e-Manifest. An e-Manifest account allows for transporters, brokers, or other entities to prepare manifests for the generator. Generators may use electronic manifests and the e- Manifest system to meet applicable RCRA recordkeeping requirements. (Note that other recordkeeping requirements under specific cleanup authorities still apply.) If an e-Manifest account is not established, personnel must work with their receiving facilities to obtain paper copies of completed manifests per any applicable recordkeeping requirements. The e-Manifest system only supplies electronic copies of completed manifests to registered generators with e-Manifest accounts. The 6-copy paper hazardous waste manifest form (EPA form 8700-22) was replaced with a new 5-copy form. Personnel may use existing inventories of the old form. e-Manifest does not issue Certificates of Destruction/Disposal and does not otherwise impact current processes related to these. EPA's e-Manifest system only collects hazardous waste manifest forms and continuation sheets (EPA form 8700-22/22A). Other documentation (e.g., bills of lading, waste profiles, Land Disposal Restriction notifications, lab pack sheets) should not be submitted and are not entered into the e-Manifest system. ------- • Department of Transportation regulations require the transporter to have a hard copy shipping document while the shipment is in transit. If using/signing electronic manifest(s), this means the transporter needs to print a copy of the signed electronic manifest(s) to carry on the truck during transit. • e-Manifest is accessible from portable devices (e.g., smart phone, tablet). What Personnel Need to Do • To create and sign electronic manifests, personnel must register as an Industry User for e-Manifest, obtain an EPA Identification Number (EPA ID) for the site if one is not already assigned, and designate a Site Manager. • Personnel can register for access to multiple sites. Conversely, sites can have multiple personnel with Site Manager access or other permissions. • Personnel will normally enter the EPA ID issued for the site in the Generator ID Number field of the manifest. ¦ The EPA ID can be a provisional or emergency EPA ID, as appropriate. Personnel should check with their authorized state or Region for information on how to obtain emergency or provisional ID numbers. ¦ In exceptional cases where time is of the essence and it is necessary to conduct immediate waste removal, EPA or state officials can waive the EPA ID requirement for generators and transporters responding to spills or discharge incidents. • Site Managers have permission to view, create, and electronically sign manifests in e-Manifest and grant permissions for others to prepare and sign manifests (i.e., contractors). See the Site Manager Fact Sheet for information: https://www.epa.gov/e-manifest/fact- sheets-e-manifest-stakeholders. • Reach out to EPA Regional e-Manifest points of contact for assistance. • Working through the appropriate contractor (e.g., Transportation & Disposal coordinator), coordinate with the receiving facility to select one of the following three manifest options: • Paper (Generator, transporter, and receiving facility all sign on paper.) • Hybrid (Manifest is created electronically in e- Manifest. A hard copy is then printed from the system and signed by the generator and initial transporter on paper. The signed hard copy is left with the generator, while the remainder of the manifest shipment is executed electronically. The manifest is signed electronically by the initial transporter, and other subsequent transporters, and the receiving facility.) • Electronic (Created in e-Manifest and electronically signed by all entities listed on the manifest.) • Incorporate into contract language a requirement that contractors adhere to all e-Manifest program requirements and include a requirement that contractors who sign manifests as the generator must use fully electronic manifests, if feasible. Expect that receiving facilities may charge user fees back to the generator. Scope of e-Manifest e-Manifest affects any waste that must be shipped on a manifest according to either federal or state law, including: • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) federal hazardous waste, • Regulated PCB waste shipped on a manifest, and • State-regulated hazardous waste (if manifest is required by origination or destination state). • Very Small Quantity Generator waste (if manifest required by state). Obtain/Update EPA ID Number Personnel acting as a generator may submit EPA form 8700- 12 ("Site Identification Form") to obtain an EPA ID number from their EPA Region or state. The form can be found on RCRAInfo Web at https://rcrainfo.epa.gov/rcrainfoweb and, in some states, can be submitted electronically. Emergency EPA IDs can be requested via the state or EPA Region. Personnel who already have an EPA ID number need to ensure previously submitted information (e.g., contact information) is up-to-date. Register with e-Manifest e-Manifest is linked to EPA's existing RCRA Information System (RCRAInfo). e-Manifest registration and instructions are available at: www.epa.gov/e-Manifest. Responders can register with e-Manifest at any point. Federal Links • For information on how to register for e-Manifest and to view frequently asked questions on e-Manifest, go to http://www.epa.gov/e-manifest • To subscribe to the general program Listserv, send a blank message to: eManifest-subscribe(a>lists.epa.gov U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA 530-F-20-021 ------- |