U.S. Hazardous Waste Manifests Still On Paper, Not Yet Electronic

Congress in 2012 tasked EPA with modernizing the paper-based system that it uses to track hazardous waste, but three years later, a planned electronic manifest system is not yet operating. Last week, the House of Representatives panel that oversees hazardous waste regulation reviewed the implementation of EPA’s electronic manifest system, or e-manifest. “It’s up to the agency to help us get to the bottom of what is going on here and, if merited, make the case that e-manifest’s launch needs further authorization and more funding,” said Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), the panel’s chairman. Congress only started doling out funding for the project in January 2014, said Barnes Johnson, director of EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation & Recovery. In September, EPA completed an initial system demonstration, and the agency expects to roll out the system in stages beginning in late 2016, Johnson told the panel. National deployment is expected in 2018.