[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 104 (Thursday, May 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25043-25044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11268]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2018-0756, FRL-9994-15-OMS]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Requirements for Generators, 
Transporters, and Waste Management Facilities Under the RCRA Hazardous 
Waste Manifest System (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Requirements for Generators, 
Transporters, and Waste Management Facilities Under the RCRA Hazardous 
Waste Manifest System (EPA ICR Number 0801.23, OMB Control Number 2050-
0039) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a 
proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through May 
31, 2019. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal 
Register on February 8, 2019 during a 60-day comment period. Ten 
comments were submitted to the public docket for this ICR. This notice 
allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller 
description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden 
and cost to the public. An agency may not conduct, or sponsor and a 
person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless 
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before July 29, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-
2018-0756, to (1) EPA, either online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), or by email to [email protected], or by mail to: 
RCRA Docket (2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB via email to 
[email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.

[[Page 25044]]

    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Groce, Office of Resource 
Conservation and Recovery, Program Implementation and Information 
Division, (5303P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 308-8750; fax 
number: (703) 308-0514; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents, which explain in 
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are available 
in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: This Information Collection Request covers recordkeeping 
and reporting activities for the hazardous waste manifest paper and 
electronic system, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA) and the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act 
(Pub. L. 112-195). EPA's authority to require use of a manifest system 
stems primarily from RCRA 3002(a)(5) (also RCRA Sections 3003(a)(3) and 
3004). Regulations are found in 40 CFR part 262 (registrant 
organizations and generators), part 263 (transporters), and parts 264 
and 265 (TSDFs). The manifest lists the wastes that are being shipped 
and the treatment, storage, or disposal facility (TSDF) to which the 
wastes are bound. Generators, transporters, and TSDFs handling 
hazardous waste are required to complete the data requirements for 
manifests and other reports primarily to: (1) Track each shipment of 
hazardous waste from the generator to a designated facility; (2) 
provide information requirements sufficient to allow the use of a 
manifest in lieu of a Department of Transportation (DOT) shipping paper 
or bill of lading, thereby reducing the duplication of paperwork to the 
regulated community; (3) provide information to transporters and waste 
management facility workers on the hazardous nature of the waste; (4) 
inform emergency response teams of the waste's hazard in the event of 
an accident, spill, or leak; and (5) ensure that shipments of hazardous 
waste are managed properly and delivered to their designated 
facilities. The Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act 
provided EPA authority to establish the national electronic hazardous 
waste manifest system to track hazardous waste shipments 
electronically. The Act also provided EPA authority to adopt 
regulations that (1) allow it to accept electronic-manifests originated 
in the e-Manifest system as the legal equivalent to paper manifests; 
(2) require manifest users to submit paper copies of the manifest to 
the system for data processing; (3) collect manifests in the e-Manifest 
system for hazardous waste subject to federal or state law; and (4) set 
up user fees to offset the costs of developing and operating the e-
Manifest system.
    Pursuant to the Act, EPA modified the manifest regulations on 
February 7, 2014 (The e-Manifest ``One Year Rule''), to authorize use 
of electronic manifests (or e-Manifests) for tracking offsite shipments 
of hazardous waste from a generator's site to the site of the receipt 
and disposition of the hazardous waste. On January 3, 2018, EPA 
finalized the e-Manifest User Fee Final Rule which established the fee 
methodology that EPA uses to determine the user fees applicable to the 
electronic and paper manifests submitted to the national system. EPA 
launched the e-Manifest system on June 30, 2018. TSDF and other 
receiving facilities must submit manifests, both paper and electronic, 
to EPA. In addition to fees for RCRA wastes, EPA is charging TSDFs and 
other facilities receiving state-only regulated wastes a fee for each 
manifest submitted to the system. Regulations regarding copy submission 
requirements for interstate shipments and the applicability of e-
Manifest system and fees to facilities receiving state-only regulated 
wastes are found in 40 CFR part 260 (Hazardous Waste Management 
System). Regulations regarding imposition of user fees on receiving 
facilities for their manifest submissions, with references to key fee 
methodology, fee dispute, and fee sanction requirements are found in 
Parts 264 and 265.
    Form Numbers: Form 8700-22 and 8700-22A.
    Respondents/affected entities: Business or other for-profit.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: mandatory (RCRA 3002(a)(5)).
    Estimated number of respondents: 215,677.
    Frequency of response: Each Shipment.
    Total estimated burden: 2,502,500 hours per year. Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $129,951,112 (per year), includes $25,768,668 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is decrease of 136,710 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB, resulting from EPA's updates to the annual number of 
paper and electronic manifests offered into transportation. EPA 
ascertained data on the actual number of manifests as compiled by the 
e-Manifest system. In addition, there was a decrease of $12,951,112 in 
O&M costs from the currently approved ICR, resulting from EPA's 
adjustment to the user fees paid by destination facilities.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2019-11268 Filed 5-29-19; 8:45 am]
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