[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 239 (Friday, December 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80103-80105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27322]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[30Day-21-0055]


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 ``ATSDR Communication Activities 
Survey (ACAS)'' 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 04/03/2020 
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

    ATSDR Communication Activities Survey (ACAS) (OMB Control No. 0923-
0055, Exp. 06/30/2020)--Reinstatement with Change--Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Background and Brief Description

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is 
seeking a

[[Page 80104]]

three-year Paperwork Reduction Act clearance for this reinstatement 
with change information collection request (ICR) titled the ``ATSDR 
Communication Activities Survey (ACAS)'' (OMB Control No. 0923-0055, 
expiration date 06/30/2020).
    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 goals for this ICR are to 
continue to ascertain the effectiveness of, the differences in, 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.
    Over the next three years, ATSDR will continue to conduct the ACAS 
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 has assessed its recent uses of the ACAS and proposes several 
changes to increase the utility and efficiency of this survey. During 
2018, 125 surveys were collected from seven sites (62% paper/38% 
online). ATSDR proposes to eliminate telephone surveys, given that none 
were requested. Thus, the estimated time burden and number of 
respondents for the ACAS has been reapportioned between hardcopy and 
online collections. ATSDR would like to remove one question and add 
three additional questions on the ACAS. As an additional change, ATSDR 
will no longer seek PRA clearance to provide incentives for community 
members who respond to the ACAS.
    In addition, ATSDR would like to pilot using text messaging as a 
way of collecting data quickly; thus, ATSDR proposes to conduct a 
highly abbreviated three-question form of the survey via SMS text 
messaging using ``Poll Everywhere'' software. Respondents, using their 
own cell phones, will text their answers to a number generated by the 
software. ATSDR does not propose to offer incentives for those who 
respond to the SMS Text Survey.
    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 367 individuals, 
aged 18 and older, to participate in the ACAS or the abbreviated SMS 
Text Survey where ATSDR is holding public community meetings. 
Therefore, respondents will include approximately 52 to 61 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% community members (n=275 per 
year) and 25% agency stakeholders (n=92 per year).
    For meetings where the ACAS is offered, trained ATSDR staff 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 two 
different survey options. At the end of these ATSDR public community 
meetings, there will be an announcement to ask interested attendees to 
take the ACAS. All interested attendees will sign in (n=167) and 
provide their preferred mode for taking the ACAS (in-person or online). 
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. When offered, we estimate 
that most respondents will choose the self-administered ACAS (n=103) 
and fewer will choose the online ACAS (n=64). For purposes of burden 
estimation, 125 (75%) of the respondents will be community members and 
42 will be agency stakeholders (25%).
    We will offer the abbreviated SMS Text Survey at selected sites 
where the number of meeting attendees is large. Sign-in for this mode 
of collection will not be required. For purposes of burden estimation, 
ATSDR anticipates that an additional 200 respondents will consent to 
this abbreviated SMS Text Survey each year; we have apportioned the 
respondent type as applied to the ACAS (150 community members and 50 
agency stakeholders).
    ATSDR is requesting an increase in the annual number of responses 
from 334 in 2017 to 534 in 2020, and an increase in the annual time 
burden from 49 hours in 2017 to 58 hours in 2020. These increases are 
based on the addition of the pilot SMS Text Survey. There are no costs 
to the respondents other than their time.

                                        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.....................  ACAS Sign In Sheet......             125               1            2/60
                                        Hardcopy ACAS...........              77               1           15/60
                                        Online ACAS.............              48               1           15/60

[[Page 80105]]

 
                                        SMS Text Survey.........             150               1            3/60
Agency Stakeholders...................  ACAS Sign In Sheet......              42               1            2/60
                                        Hardcopy ACAS...........              26               1           15/60
                                        Online ACAS.............              16               1           15/60
                                        SMS Text Survey.........              50               1            3/60
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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. 2020-27322 Filed 12-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P