[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 250 (Thursday, December 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 95998-96000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31554]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[30Day-17-16BEH]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has 
submitted the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (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

[[Page 95999]]

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 or send an email to [email protected]. Direct written comments 
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the 
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 
Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written comments 
should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    ATSDR Communication Activities Survey (ACAS)--New--Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Background and Brief Description

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) serves 
the public through responsive public health actions to promote healthy 
and safe environments and to prevent harmful exposures. The agency aims 
to work effectively with communities in proximity to hazardous waste 
sites by listening to and understanding their health concerns and 
seeking their guidance on where, when, and how to take public health 
actions.
    Community members are key participants in the agency's public 
health assessment process and should be actively involved in decisions 
that impact their community. Thus, agency's goals for this new 
information collection request (ICR) titled the ``ATSDR Communication 
Activities Survey (ACAS)'' are to ascertain the effectiveness of, and 
to assess the differences and the consistency of, the delivery of ATSDR 
activities and respondent perceptions across sites and over time. ATSDR 
will use the ACAS to: (1) Determine how effectively it's site teams 
engage community members; (2) discover how well ATSDR provides 
effective, clear, and consistent communication and information on how 
to promote healthy and safe environments; (3) understand whether the 
agency's activities are helping the communities address environmental 
issues; and (4) improve ATSDR's activities to make a greater impact 
within the communities served.
    Recruitment will occur at communities where ATSDR and state or 
local agencies have implemented site activities to address 
environmental issues. For each engaged community, the ACAS will be used 
to assess a set of effectiveness indicators for ATSDR site-specific 
activities about the respondents' involvement, knowledge, satisfaction, 
observations, and opinions about ATSDR's community engagement and 
educational outreach efforts to inform communities. The indicators will 
measure ATSDR effectiveness in the following respondent areas: (1) 
Their involvement with the site activities; (2) how they received, and 
prefer to receive, ATSDR information; (3) their knowledge and 
understanding of ATSDR site activities and how to reduce hazardous 
exposures; (4) their observations and opinions of ATSDR's role in 
community preparedness; (5) their self-evaluation on their risk of 
exposure to possible environmental hazards; (6) their demographic 
profile; (7) their environmental concerns; and (8) any additional 
feedback.
    ATSDR is seeking a three-year Paperwork Reduction Act clearance for 
this new ICR. ATSDR anticipates that approximately six to seven sites 
will be engaged for feedback per year (or about 20 sites over the next 
three years). Each year, ATSDR will recruit approximately 167 
individuals per year, aged 18 and older, to participate in the ACAS 
where ATSDR is holding public community meetings. Therefore, 
respondents will include approximately 24 to 28 community members and 
agency stakeholders per meeting (6 to 7 meetings per year). The 
community members may include, but are not limited to, the general 
public, community leaders, faith-based leaders, and business leaders. 
The agency stakeholders may include, but are not limited to, state and 
local environmental health department employees, such as environmental 
health assessors, toxicologists, and departmental officials. The mix of 
respondents will be approximately 75 percent community members (n=125 
per year) and 25 percent agency stakeholders (n=42 per year).
    Trained ATSDR contractors will have a table set up at the entrance 
of the community meeting where community meeting attendees will pick up 
a fact sheet which explains what ATSDR does, and the purpose of ATSDR's 
site activities and the survey.
    At the end of ATSDR public community meetings, there will be an 
announcement to ask interested attendees to take the survey. All 
interested attendees will sign in and provide their contact 
information, their preferred mode for taking the survey (in-person, 
online or over the phone), and whether they are a community member or 
an agency stakeholder.
    The ACAS will preferably be self-administered right after the 
public community meetings. If this is not a convenient time for the 
respondent, the ACAS may be completed online or by phone. We estimate 
that approximately 80 percent of respondents will choose the self-
administered ACAS, 15 percent will choose the online ACAS, and 5 
percent will choose the telephone ACAS.
    There are no costs to the respondents other than their time. The 
total annual time burden requested is 94 hours per year.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

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                                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden
          Type of respondents                   Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)
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Community Members.....................  Sign In Sheet...........             125               1            3/60
                                        Hardcopy ACAS...........             100               1           30/60
                                        Online ACAS.............              19               1           30/60
                                        Telephone ACAS..........               6               1           30/60
Agency Stakeholders...................  Sign In Sheet...........              42               1            3/60
                                        Hardcopy ACAS...........              34               1           30/60
                                        Online ACAS.............               6               1           30/60
                                        Telephone ACAS..........               2               1           30/60
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[[Page 96000]]

Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-31554 Filed 12-28-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P