[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7558-7560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02542]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-20-1175; Docket No. CDC-2020-0006]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled the Environmental Public Health 
Tracking Network, an information system which collects data from other 
CDC programs such as the National Center for Health Statistics, other 
federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, publicly 
accessible systems such as the Census Bureau, and funded and unfunded 
state and local health departments (SLHD).

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before April 10, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
0006 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. 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;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and

[[Page 7559]]

    4. 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 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (OMB Control No. 0920-
1175, Exp. 04/30/2020)--Revision--National Center for Environmental 
Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    In September 2000, the Pew Environmental Health Commission issued a 
report entitled ``America's Environmental Health Gap: Why the Country 
Needs a Nationwide Health Tracking Network.'' In this report, the 
Commission documented that the existing environmental health systems 
were inadequate and fragmented, and recommended a ``Nationwide Health 
Tracking Network for disease and exposures.'' In response to the 
report, Congress appropriated funds in the fiscal year 2002's budget 
for the CDC to establish the National Environmental Public Health 
Tracking Network (Tracking Network).
    Continuously since 2008, and at the national level, the program 
collects data from (1) other CDC programs such as the National Center 
for Health Statistics, (2) other federal agencies such as the 
Environmental Protection Agency, (3) publicly accessible systems such 
as the Census Bureau, and (4) funded and unfunded state and local 
health departments (SLHD). These data are integrated into and 
disseminated from the Tracking Network and used for analyses which can 
inform national programs, interventions, or policies; guide further 
development and activities within the Tracking Program; or advance the 
practice and science of environmental public health tracking. The 
Tracking Program also collects information from funded SLHD to monitor 
their progress related to their funding and for program evaluation. 
This information collection request (ICR) is focused on data and 
information gathered by the Tracking Program from SLHD. The CDC 
requests a three-year approval to revise the ``Environmental Public 
Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network)'' (OMB Control No. 0920-
1175; Expiration Date 04/30/2020). Specifically, CDC seeks to make the 
following changes:
    1. For Tracking Data, minor changes are requested for the following 
instruments:
    a. (Attachment 4F) Radon testing--removed 33 elements and added 4 
elements.
    2. For Program Data, minor changes are requested for the following 
instruments:
    a. (Attachment 5A) EPHT Work Plan--added ten keyword questions.
    b. (Attachment 5B) Public Health Action Report--added 4 questions.
    c. (Attachment 5C) Performance Measurement Strategy Report 
(previously Attachment 5D)--removed 2 questions/elements and reduce 
reporting to once a year.
    d. Attachment 5D--Communication Plan Template and Guide (previously 
Attachment 5C)--streamlined template for more efficient reporting.
    e. Attachment 5E--Partnership Plan Template and Guide--(previously 
Attachment 5C)--partnership plan was separated from communication plan 
for clarity.
    f. Attachment 5F--website Analytics Template (previously Attachment 
5E)--created an excel reporting template with one cell for each 
question.
    The three-year approval will allow CDC to continue collecting 
health, exposure, and hazard data for environmental health surveillance 
as well as program monitoring information from funded SLHD through the 
current five-year cooperative agreement--``Enhancing Innovation and 
Capabilities of the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network'' 
(CDC-RFA-EH17-1720).
    The Tracking Network provides the United States with accurate and 
timely standardized data from existing health, exposure, and hazard 
surveillance systems and supports ongoing efforts within the public 
health and environmental sectors. The goal of the Tracking Network is 
to improve health tracking, exposure and hazard monitoring, and 
response capacity. When such data are available, the Tracking Program 
obtains data from national or public sources in order to reduce the 
burden on SLHD. When data are not available nationally or publicly, the 
Tracking Program relies on funded SLHD to obtain and submit these data 
to the Tracking Network. Data from unfunded SLHD are accepted but not 
requested or solicited.
    Data submitted annually by SLHD to the Tracking Program include: 
(1) Birth defects prevalence, (2) childhood lead blood levels, if a 
SLHD does not already report such data to CDC, (3) community drinking 
water monitoring, (4) emergency department visits, (5) 
hospitalizations, and (6) radon testing. The Tracking Program receives 
childhood lead blood levels data from CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning 
Prevention Program (under the Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning 
Surveillance System [HHLPSS--OMB Control No. 0920-0931, expiration date 
5/31/2018]). A metadata record, a file describing the original source 
and collection procedures for the data being submitted, is also 
submitted with each dataset (1 per dataset for a total of 6 metadata 
records per year) using the Tracking Program's metadata creation tool.
    Standardized extraction, formatting, and submission processes are 
developed in collaboration between CDC and SLHD for each dataset. 
Additions or modifications to these standardized datasets will also be 
developed collaboratively in order to improve the accuracy, 
completeness, efficiency, or utility of data submitted to CDC. Such 
changes will occur at most once a year. Examples of changes to data 
processes may include: (1) Addition of new variables or outcomes, (2) 
updates to case definitions, (3) modifications to temporal or spatial 
aggregation, and (4) changes in formatting for submission. As required, 
the Tracking Network will submit future additions and modifications as 
nonsubstantive change requests or revision ICRs.
    Over the past three years, these data have been
     Used to calculate standardized measures for environmental 
health surveillance
     Integrated into the Tracking Network and disseminated to 
the public via the Tracking Network's National Public Portal at http://ephtracking.cdc.gov/showHome.action.
     Queried 577,058 times via the Tracking Network's National 
Public Portal
     Conduct analyses such as
    [cir] A review of air and water quality differences between rural 
and urban counties
    [cir] The development of standardized sub-county geographies for 
disseminating health data.
    [cir] An analysis of the short-term associations between air 
pollution and respiratory emergency department visits across all age 
groups.
    The Tracking Program also collects program monitoring information 
from funded SLHD. In addition to standard reporting required by CDC's 
Procurement and Grants Office, the Tracking Program also collects 
information from funded SLHD for the purposes of program evaluation and

[[Page 7560]]

monitoring. This information includes an Environmental Public Health 
Tracking Workplan Template, a Performance Measure Report, a 
Communication Plan, a Partnership Plan, and a website Analytics 
Template. Each of these forms are collected annually as documents 
emailed to the Tracking Program. A public health action (PHA) report is 
submitted at least once and up to four times a year via email to the 
Tracking Program as funded SLHD have PHA to report.
    Over the past three years, these data were used to identify funded 
SLHD in need of additional technical assistance, identify common 
challenges and successes, improve communication between funded SLHD and 
CDC, and to monitor funded SLHD compliance with funding requirements.
    There are no costs for the respondents other than their time. The 
total estimated time burden is 21,860 hours. This estimate includes the 
time it takes to extract the data from the original data source(s), 
standardize and format the data to match the corresponding Tracking 
Network data form, and submit the data to the Tracking Network. In some 
cases, the data at the source are centralized and easily extracted. In 
other cases, like for radon data, the data are not. In those cases, the 
number of hours for extracting and standardizing the data is much 
greater. Four respondents have been added to the 26 SLHDs the program 
currently funds to account for the data voluntarily received from 
unfunded SLHDs and to allow for potential program growth over the next 
three years.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State and local health          Birth defects                 22               1              80            1760
 departments.                    prevalence.
                                Childhood lead                18               1              80            1440
                                 blood levels.
                                Community                     30               1             100            3000
                                 drinking water
                                 monitoring.
                                Emergency                     30               1              80            2400
                                 department
                                 visits.
                                Hospitalizations              30               1              80            2400
                                Radon testing...              18               1             100            1800
                                Metadata records              30               6              20            3600
                                EPHT Work Plan..              30               1              40            1200
                                Public Health                 30               4              20            2400
                                 Action Report.
                                Performance                   30               1              20             600
                                 Measure Report.
                                Communications                30               1              20             600
                                 plan.
                                Partnership plan              30               1              20             600
                                Website                       30               2               1              60
                                 analytics.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............          21,860
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-02542 Filed 2-7-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P