Paper Manifest Sunset Rule; Modification of the Hazardous Waste Manifest Regulations

What it does

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.

The Environmental Protection Agency's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What it would change

10 parts of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

40 CFR 260, 40 CFR 261, 40 CFR 262, 40 CFR 263, 40 CFR 264, 40 CFR 265, 40 CFR 266, 40 CFR 267, 40 CFR 271, 40 CFR 761

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 2050-AH35 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

Comments must be received on or before May 4, 2026. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), comments on the information collection provisions are best assured of consideration if the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) receives a copy of your comments on or before April 6, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket EPA-HQ-OLEM-2025-3456 on Regulations.gov
• Title 40 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register