Lawmakers this week expressed hope that a small provision buried in President Obama's 2013 budget proposal to change how U.S. EPA tracks hazardous waste will give "new life" to their parallel efforts on Capitol Hill.

Currently, EPA requires hazardous material generators to track their shipments using "cradle to grave" carbon copy manifests. In his fiscal 2013 budget, Obama proposed shifting to electronic reporting -- a switch that would save several million dollars for the agency. The president asked for $2 million to establish the electronic manifest system.

The idea is not entirely new, but it appears to be stalled on Capitol Hill.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune (R) has introduced legislation in the past two sessions of Congress that calls for an electronic reporting system. Both bills passed the chamber, and Thune said earlier this week that he "appreciated" the similar provision in the president's budget. He added that he has been talking to lawmakers in the House about moving a bill this year.

"I know that the House has raised some concerns about moving the Senate version," Thune told E&E Daily, referring to his S. 710. "And we've had conversations with them about different ways that we might be able to get this done."

Thune estimates that nearly 140,000 businesses submit between 2.5 million and 5 million hazardous waste manifests every year, costing them between $200 million and $500 million annually.

The lawmaker's office noted that Obama's budget proposal would not reform the program as extensively as Thune's proposal would.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), a co-sponsor of Thune's bill, said the effort is virtually a no brainer.

"It's a good sign that something similar was included in the budget and we need to move forward on it," she said. "This gives it some new life."

This is not the first time Obama has pushed for the electronic manifest system. The proposal has been part of his previous budget requests as well as his deficit cutting proposal last year (E&E Daily, Sept. 20, 2011).

Moreover, EPA said last month that it plans to propose a rule to shift to an electronic system in the near future. The agency said it hopes to develop a national system that would allow mobile devices to link to the system and exchange data.

The agency estimated its proposal would cost more than $11 million to set up, plus $3.6 in annual operation costs. However, EPA projects it will save regulators and industry between $76 million and $124 million annually (Greenwire, Jan. 31).

House holdup?

There seems to be some Democratic support for Thune's bill in the House. Last month, House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) urged panel Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) to take up Thune's legislation, casting it as a common-sense solution (E&ENews PM, Jan. 19).

Yesterday, Waxman said he "hopes" the president's plan spurs some action in the committee but that "it's up to the powers that be," meaning the GOP.

Republicans do not, however, appear gung ho about Thune's bill. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, said last month that he wants to move a bill dealing with the manifests. He added, however that he would prefer to move his own legislation -- not Thune's (E&E Daily, Jan. 26).

Thune said some issues remain regarding who pays for the new system -- industry or the federal government.

"Frankly," he added, "the other issue is who gets to spend the money that comes in from it -- whether or not it goes back to the department or whether it comes to the Appropriations committees."

He added that his proposal is something that should be easy to move.

"It just needs to be done," Thune said. "It's in the best interest of the economy."