On May 5, 2023, EPA issued a policy to allow generators, transporters, and receiving facilities to execute electronic signatures through their employees or contractors who are located remotely from the hazardous waste shipment. This policy reduces the number of employees and contractors who need to register to sign manifests, alleviates the need to have network access at the point of custody exchange, and allows sites to initiate the electronic signature process through system-to-system communication.
EPA established the e-Manifest system according to the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act (pdf) (216 K), enacted into law on October 5, 2012. Since then, EPA completed two final rules and one proposed rule regarding the operation, management, and functionality of the e-Manifest program.
This first rule, published on February 7, 2014, known as the “One Year Rule” establishes the legal and policy framework for the use of electronic manifests. The purpose of the rule is to:
The Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act does not itself set e-Manifest user fees, but instead gives EPA discretion to establish user fees, through regulation, that the Administrator determines to be necessary to offset the costs of developing and operating the e-Manifest system. The final rule, signed on December 20, 2017, establishes the user fees and other actions necessary to establish the system.
On July 26, 2024, EPA published the e-Manifest Third Final Rule which finalizes regulatory changes to incorporate export manifests and other manifest-related reports (i.e., Discrepancy, Exception, and Unmanifested Waste Reports) into e-Manifest as well as other changes related to manifests, including for polychlorinated biphenyls under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Learn more about the final rule.