Use of the manifest

1. The generator must: a. Sign the manifest certification by hand; b. Obtain the handwritten signature of the initial transporter and date of acceptance on the manifest; and c. Retain one copy, in accordance with subsection 1 of section 33.1-24-03-13. 2. The generator must give the transporter the remaining copies of the manifest. 3. For shipments of hazardous waste within the United States solely by water (bulk shipments only), the generator must send three copies of the manifest dated and signed in accordance with this section to the owner or operator of the designated facility or the last water (bulk shipment) transporter to handle the waste in the United States if exported by water. Copies of the manifest are not required for each transporter. 4. For rail shipments of hazardous waste within the United States which originate at the site of generation, the generator must send at least three copies of the manifest dated and signed in accordance with this section to: a. The next nonrail transporter, if any; b. The designated facility if transported solely by rail; or c. The last rail transporter to handle the waste in the United States if exported by rail. 5. For shipments of hazardous waste to a designated facility in an authorized state which has not yet obtained authorization to regulate that particular waste as hazardous, the generator must assure that the designated facility agrees to sign and return the manifest to the generator, and that any out-of-state transporter signs and forwards the manifest to the designated facility. 6. Waste minimization certification. A generator who initiates a shipment of hazardous waste must certify to one of the following statements in item 15 of the uniform hazardous waste manifest: a. "I am a large quantity generator. I have a program in place to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste generated to the degree I have determined to be economically practicable and I have selected the practicable method of treatment, storage, or disposal currently available to me which minimizes the present and future threat to human health and the environment"; or b. "I am a small quantity generator. I have made a good faith effort to minimize my waste generation and select the best waste management method that is available to me and that I can afford." 7. For rejected shipments of hazardous waste or container residues contained in nonempty containers that are returned to the generator by the designated facility (following the procedures of subsection 6 of section 33.1-24-05-39), the generator must: a. Sign either: (1) Item 20 of the new manifest if a new manifest is used for the returned shipment; or (2) Item 18c of the original manifest if the original manifest is used for the returned shipment. b. Provide the transporter a copy of the manifest; c. Within thirty days of delivery of the rejected shipment or container residues contained in nonempty containers, send a copy of the manifest to the designated facility that returned the shipment to the generator; and d. Retain at the generator's site a copy of each manifest for at least three years from the date of delivery. 8. Use of the electronic manifest. Electronic manifests are equivalent to paper manifests. a. Legal equivalence to paper manifests. Electronic manifests that are obtained, completed, and transmitted in accordance with subdivision b of subsection 1 of section 33.1-24-03-04, and used in accordance with this subsection in lieu of environmental protection agency forms 8700-22 and 8700-22a are the legal equivalent of paper manifest forms bearing handwritten signatures, and satisfy for all purposes any requirement in these rules to obtain, complete, sign, provide, use, or retain a manifest. (1) Any requirement in these rules to sign a manifest or manifest certification by hand, or to obtain a handwritten signature, is satisfied by signing with or obtaining a valid and enforceable electronic signature within the meaning of 40 CFR 262.25. (2) Any requirement in these rules to give, provide, send, forward, or return to another person a copy of the manifest is satisfied when an electronic manifest is transmitted to the other person by submission to the system. (3) Any requirement in these rules for a generator to keep or retain a copy of each manifest is satisfied by retention of a signed electronic manifest in the generator's account on the national e-manifest system, provided that such copies are readily available for viewing and production if requested by any environmental protection agency or authorized department representative. (4) No generator may be held liable for the inability to produce an electronic manifest for inspection under this subsection if the generator can demonstrate that the inability to produce the electronic manifest is due exclusively to a technical difficulty with the electronic manifest system for which the generator bears no responsibility. b. A generator may participate in the electronic manifest system either by accessing the electronic manifest system from the generator's own electronic equipment, or by accessing the electronic manifest system from portable equipment brought to the generator's site by the transporter who accepts the hazardous waste shipment from the generator for offsite transportation. c. Restriction on use of electronic manifests. A generator may prepare an electronic manifest for the tracking of hazardous waste shipments involving any hazardous waste only if it is known at the time the manifest is originated that all waste handlers named on the manifest participate in the electronic manifest system, except that a generator may sign by hand and retain a paper copy of the manifest signed by hand by the initial transporter, in lieu of executing the generator copy electronically, thereby enabling the transporter and subsequent waste handlers to execute the remainder of the manifest copies electronically. d. Requirement for one printed copy. To the extent the hazardous materials regulation on shipping papers for carriage by public highway requires shippers of hazardous materials to supply a paper document for compliance with 49 CFR 177.817, a generator originating an electronic manifest must also provide the initial transporter with one printed copy of the electronic manifest. e. Special procedures when electronic manifest is unavailable. If a generator has prepared an electronic manifest for a hazardous waste shipment, but the electronic manifest system becomes unavailable for any reason prior to the time that the initial transporter has signed electronically to acknowledge the receipt of the hazardous waste from the generator, then the generator must obtain and complete a paper manifest and if necessary, a continuation sheet (environmental protection agency forms 8700-22 and 8700-22A) in accordance with the manifest instructions in appendix I to this chapter, and use these paper forms from this point forward in accordance with the requirements of subsections 1 through 5 and 7. f. Special procedures for electronic signature methods undergoing tests. If a generator has prepared an electronic manifest for a hazardous waste shipment, and signs this manifest electronically using an electronic signature method which is undergoing pilot or demonstration tests aimed at demonstrating the practicality or legal dependability of the signature method, then the generator shall also sign with an ink signature the generator or offeror certification on the printed copy of the manifest provided under subdivision d. g. Post-receipt manifest data corrections. After facilities have certified to the receipt of hazardous wastes by signing Item 20 of the manifest, any post-receipt data corrections may be submitted at any time by any interested person (e.g., waste handler) named on the manifest. Generators may participate electronically in the post-receipt data corrections process by following the process described in subsection 12 of section 33.1- 24-05-38, which applies to corrections made to either paper or electronic manifest records. 9. Electronic manifest signatures. Electronic signature methods for the e-manifest system shall: a. Be a legally valid and enforceable signature under applicable environmental protection agency and other federal requirements pertaining to electronic signatures; and b. Be a method that is designed and implemented in a manner that the environmental protection agency considers to be as cost-effective and practical as possible for users of the manifest.