Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review, 21438-21440 [2020-08168]

Agencies

• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21438-21440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08168]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[30Day-20-0057]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has submitted the 
information collection request titled ``APPLETREE Performance 
Measures'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval. ATSDR previously published a ``Proposed Data Collection 
Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations'' notice on December 
23, 2019, to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. 
ATSDR did not receive comments related to the previous notice. This 
notice serves to allow an additional 30 days for public and affected 
agency comments.
    ATSDR will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including, through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses; and
    (e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570. Comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Direct 
written comments and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in 
this notice to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management 
and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 
395-5806. Provide written comments within 30 days of notice 
publication.

Proposed Project

    APPLETREE Performance Measures (OMB Control No. 0923-0057, Exp. 07/
31/2020)--Revision--Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 
(ATSDR).

Background and Brief Description

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) seeks 
to build and sustain the capacity to evaluate exposures to hazardous 
waste across the country. Releases from hazardous waste sites are a 
major source of harmful exposures in homes, schools, workplaces, and 
communities. These exposures are often complex and may be difficult to 
identify and control. Hazardous waste sites may involve various toxic 
substances, exposure pathways, and health impacts. ATSDR's primary goal 
is to keep communities safe from harmful exposures and related 
diseases. To accomplish this goal, the agency works closely with 
partnering agencies to evaluate exposures at hazardous waste sites, 
educate communities, and seek new ways to better protect public health.
    ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce 
Environmental Exposure (APPLETREE) Program is critical to ATSDR's 
success in accomplishing its mission in communities nationwide. ATSDR's 
recipients will use APPLETREE funding to advance ATSDR's primary goal 
of keeping communities safe from harmful environmental exposures and 
related diseases. APPLETREE gives recipients the resources to build 
their capacity to assess and respond to site-specific issues involving 
human exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. APPLETREE 
helps recipients identify exposure pathways at specific sites; educate 
affected communities about site contamination and potential health 
effects; make recommendations to prevent exposure; review health 
outcome data to evaluate potential links between site contaminants and 
community health outcomes. APPLETREE facilitates the implementation of 
state-level programs to ensure that potential early care and education 
facilities are in areas free from harmful environmental exposures. It 
also encourages recipients in the

[[Page 21439]]

innovation of progressive public health interventions that prevent 
exposures to environmental contamination. Because of APPLETREE 
recipients' local connections and partnerships, community engagement 
and implementation of recommendations is improved. This program is 
authorized under Sections 104(i)(15) of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended 
by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 [42 
U.S.C. 9604(i)(15)].
    Under the next three-year APPLETREE cooperative agreement (NOFO No. 
CDC-RFA-TS20-2001), eligible applicants include federally recognized 
American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments; American Indian/
Alaska native tribally designated organizations; political subdivisions 
of states (in consultation with states); and state and local 
governments or their bona fide agents. ATSDR technical project officers 
(TPOs) will assist 28 APPLETREE recipients to address site-specific 
issues involving human exposure to hazardous substances. Key capacities 
include identification of human exposure pathways at ATSDR sites, 
education of affected communities and local health professionals about 
site contamination and potential health effects; making appropriate 
recommendations to prevent exposure; reviewing health outcome data to 
evaluate potential links between site contaminants and community 
health; and documenting the effects of environmental remediation on 
health.
    This is a revision information collection request (ICR) titled 
``APPLETREE Performance Measures,'' previously approved under OMB 
Control No. 0923-0057 (expiration date 07/31/2020). ATSDR will continue 
to collect information related to recipient activities, and the process 
and outcome performance measures outlined by the cooperative agreement 
program. Information will be used to monitor progress toward program 
goals and objectives, and for program quality improvement. The first 
five forms were previously approved by OMB. The first three forms, 
formerly reported in SharePoint, will be migrated to a new information 
technology (IT) system called ATSDR's Request Management Service System 
(ARMSS).
    1. ATSDR Health Education Activity Tracking (HEAT) Form: For each 
environmental health assessment and health education activity conducted 
at ATSDR sites, APPLETREE Recipients shall quantitatively assess and 
report efforts to educate community members about site recommendations 
and health risks using indicators to assess community understanding of 
site findings about health risks and community understanding of agency 
recommendations to reduce health risks. This information will be 
entered in to the ATSDR HEAT system for each activity at ATSDR sites.
    2. ATSDR Technical Assistance (TA) Activity Form: Throughout the 
budget year, this form will be used to record the routine requests made 
of the recipients and their program responses. These responses do not 
evaluate environmental data and do not make health calls, but they are 
monitored by ATSDR as part of the recipients' performance.
    3. ATSDR Site Impact Assessment (SIA) Form: For each environmental 
health assessment and health education activity conducted at ATSDR 
sites, recipients shall estimate and report the number of people 
protected from exposure to toxic substances at each site where 
implementation of agency recommendations has taken place and at each 
child care center where safe siting guidelines have been implemented. 
To the extent possible, recipients shall estimate and report the 
disease burden prevented due to the implementation of site 
recommendations and safe siting guidelines.
    Recipients will continue to submit the following form to ATSDR via 
SharePoint:
    4. ATSDR Success Story Form: Recipients will provide one success 
story per quarter (four success stories total per year) that highlights 
an impact of any of their programs. Recipients will report a brief 
summary, background, intervention/action taken, and accomplishment/
impact for each story. Optionally, they may include a photo or quote.
    Recipients will submit the following five forms to ATSDR via email. 
As part of the revision request, the last four forms are new.
    5. APPLETREE Annual Performance Report (APR) Template: Recipients 
will continue to provide an APR each year and at the end of the funding 
cycle, which summarizes their annual and funding cycle performances, 
respectively. APRs will be due in December of each year to coincide 
with the CDC Grants Management annual reports to reduce overall 
reporting burden and the final report will be due at the end of the 
funding cycle. The purpose of the performance reports will be to assess 
Partners based on performance measures and evaluation projects. The 
reports should include a summary of performance measures, results of 
any evaluation projects, accompanying narrative of progress and 
interpretation of results, optional successes, challenges, and updated 
work plan. These reports will be entered into a Microsoft Word form.
    6. Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education (CSPECE) 
Qualitative Narrative Form: Recipients will now provide a narrative 
report of their CSPECE Programs to document descriptive details of 
their state's landscape, program plan, program implementation, and 
results that cannot be captured through numbers. Recipients will 
complete and submit the narrative once a year as a supplement with 
their APRs in a Microsoft Word form.
    7. CSPECE Quantitative Form: Recipients will also now provide data 
on their CSPECE Programs to quantify aspects of their program such as 
children reached, target audiences screened, and recommendations 
implemented. To supplement their APRs, recipients will complete and 
submit a Microsoft Excel form once a year as a supplement with their 
APRs.
    In addition to the required annual reporting, at the end of the 
three-year program, each recipient will report cumulative three-year 
performance measures for three forms: The APR, the CSPECE Qualitative 
Narrative Form, and the CSPECE Quantitative Form. This will result in 
four total responses in a three-year period for each form. The 
estimated annualized number of required responses is thus rounded to 
once per year for these three forms, as four hours divided by three 
years equals 1.33 hours per year.
    8. ATSDR SoilSHOP Form: SoilSHOPs are not a required activity; 
however, if conducted, a recipient will need to complete the ATSDR 
SoilSHOP Form in Word. This form gathers data on the inputs, 
activities, outputs, and outcomes of the event, such as the number of 
soil samples screened, number of elevated soil samples, number of 
individuals receiving health consultations, and number of individuals 
receiving referrals. The form should be provided back to ATSDR via 
email within two weeks of the SoilSHOP completion.
    9. ATSDR Recommendation Follow-up Form: For each environmental 
health assessment, recipients will provide an update on the status of 
acceptance and implementation of all recommendations to understand 
whether and how recommendations have been implemented, and the 
subsequent impact on communities. Recipients will complete a Microsoft 
Excel reporting form annually on the anniversary date

[[Page 21440]]

of the release of each health assessment. Initially recipients will 
provide to ATSDR via email, but the form will be migrated into the 
ARMSS system in the future.
    ATSDR is seeking a three-year Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 
clearance for this revision information collection request. The total 
annual time burden requested is 267 hours. This reflects a reduction in 
requested time burden compared to the 272 hours previously approved in 
2017. This revision also requests approval for an increase in the 
annual number of responses from 1,575 in 2017, to 1,886 in this current 
request. ATSDR will fund 28 recipients, an increase of three additional 
awards over the previous program. Recipient reporting is required to 
receive funding under the APPLETREE cooperative agreement.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                      Average
                                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per
          Type of respondents                   Form name           respondents    responses per   response (in
                                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPLETREE Recipients..................  ATSDR Health Education                28              37            3/60
                                         Activity Tracking
                                         (HEAT)Form.
                                        ATSDR Technical                       28              15            5/60
                                         Assistance (TA)Activity
                                         Form.
                                        ATSDR Site Impact                     28               4            7/60
                                         Assessment (SIA)Form.
                                        ATSDR Success Story Form              28               4           30/60
                                        APPLETREE Annual                      28               1               2
                                         Performance Report(APR)
                                         Template.
                                        Choose Safe Places for                28               1               1
                                         Early Care and
                                         Education (CSPECE)
                                         Qualitative Narrative
                                         Form.
                                        CSPECE Quantitative Form              28               1           15/60
                                        ATSDR SoilSHOP Form.....              10               1            7/60
                                        ATSDR Recommendation                  28               4           10/60
                                         Follow-up Form.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-08168 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P