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Statement of Need: The Agency is revising the RCRA manifest system because of the amount of paperwork burden associated with the manifest. Reduction in paperwork burden is part of the Administration?s Regulatory Reinvention goal of cutting government red tape. The Agency wants to standardize the manifest program across the States by introducing a truly uniform manifest tracking form. The chief goal of the manifest system is to facilitate the safe transportation of offsite shipments of hazardous waste to appropriate RCRA management facilities. Furthermore, the manifest promotes accountability throughout the generation, transportation, and disposal cycle of a hazardous waste shipment; and the manifest also provides essential hazard information to handlers and emergency responders.

Summary of the Legal Basis: RCRA Section 3002(a)(5) authorizes EPA to issue regulations applicable to generators of hazardous waste regarding the use of a manifest system to describe waste, its origin, and its routing to ensure waste arrives at designated off-site facilities. RCRA Sections 3002 and 3004 authorizes EPA to issue regulations applicable to transportors of hazardous waste and to treatment, storage, and disposal facilitites regarding compliance with the manifest system.

Alternatives: The Agency has looked at three alternatives to revising the manifest system. The first alter-native is to revise and standardize the manifest form itself. The second alternative is to introduce the option of automated technologies (electronic commerce) to reduce paperwork and make the manifest system more efficient. The third alternative is to develop alternative requirements for certain types of hazardous waste handlers which will reduce some of the paperwork burden. The Agency has chosen to combine the three alternatives into one cohesive package which will preserve the positive features of the current manifest system (maintaining the necessary controls to protect human health and the environment) and at the same time substantially reducing the burden on industry.

Anticipated Costs and Benefits: The overall costs of this action should be minimal to the regulated industry since the new Federal manifest system should reduce the overall number of elements on the manifest form. Additionally, uniformity in data required across the U.S. will benefit the transportation industry by reducing the burden associated with obtaining various state requirements for wastes traveling through multiple states. Other hazardous waste handlers will benefit from having the option to use automation to complete, send, receive, and store manifest information. Some states may have to modify their data systems in response to his action. The Agency is currently conducting an analysis to determine the costs and benefits of the rule.

Risks: This rule reduces the paperwork burden of the manifest on the public without reducing protectiveness of human health or the environment.