EPA Bars Confidentiality Claims for Hazardous Waste, but Nixes 'Internet Posting' Requirements

The Environmental Protection Agency will not finalize a proposed requirement that importers and exporters of hazardous waste post documents associated with their shipments to a publicly available website, it said in a final rule. Although the agency will move forward with another aspect of its November 2016 proposal (see 1611250029), no longer allowing importers and exporters of hazardous waste and exporters of cathode ray tubes to claim confidentiality for documents and data related to these activities, the agency determined that the temporary “internet posting” aspect of its proposal imposed unnecessary confusion on importers and exporters of hazardous waste. Instead, the agency will wait until it develops its upcoming Waste Import Export Tracking System (WIETS) to be able to receive electronic submissions of import and export documentation for hazardous waste shipments, it said. Provisions of the final rule barring confidentiality claims for hazardous waste exports and imports take effect June 26, 2018.