[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 122 (Friday, June 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38712-38714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-12967]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
[60Day-26-0057; Docket No. ATSDR-2026-0067]
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
AGENCY: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
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 continuing
information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection
project titled APPLETREE Performance Measures. ATSDR will use this data
collection to manage the current cooperative agreement program under
ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental
Exposures (APPLETREE) Program.
DATES: ATSDR must receive written comments on or before August 25,
2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. ATSDR-
2026-0067 by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.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 H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and Docket Number. ATSDR will post, without change, all relevant
comments to www.regulations.gov.
Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking
portal (www.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 H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 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;
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; and
5. Assess information collection costs.
Proposed Project
APPLETREE Performance Measures (OMB Control No. 0923-0057, Exp. 10/
31/2026)--Revision--Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR).
[[Page 38713]]
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 can be difficult to
identify and control, as 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, the agency works closely with
partnering agencies to evaluate exposures at hazardous waste sites,
educate communities, and seek innovative ways to better protect public
health.
ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce
Environmental Exposures (APPLETREE) Program is critical to
accomplishing this mission nationwide. Recipients use APPLETREE funding
to advance ATSDR's primary goal of keeping communities safe from
harmful environmental exposures. The program provides recipients with
resources to build capacity to assess and respond to site-specific
issues involving human exposure to hazardous substances. Specifically,
APPLETREE helps recipients identify exposure pathways at specific
sites; educate affected communities about site contamination and
potential health effects; make recommendations to prevent exposure; and
review health outcome data to evaluate potential links between site
contaminants and community health.
APPLETREE also facilitates the implementation of state-level
programs to ensure that early care and education facilities are sited
in areas free from harmful environmental exposures. Additionally, the
program motivates recipients to innovate and implement progressive
public health interventions. Leveraging the local connections and
partnerships of APPLETREE recipients enhances community engagement and
the successful implementation of health recommendations. 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 current five-year APPLETREE cooperative agreement (NOFO
No. CDC-RFA-TS-23-0001), 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 30 APPLETREE recipients in addressing site-
specific issues involving human exposure to hazardous substances. Key
recipient capacities include identifying human exposure pathways;
educating affected communities and local health professionals; making
appropriate recommendations to prevent exposure; reviewing health
outcome data; 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 10/31/2026). ATSDR will continue
to collect information related to recipient activities, as well as the
process and outcome performance measures outlined by the cooperative
agreement. Information will be used to monitor progress toward program
goals and objectives, and for program quality improvement.
To monitor recipient performance and evaluate public health
impacts, ATSDR utilizes 10 key information collection tools. To
streamline reporting and reduce recipient burden, ATSDR has
transitioned these collections into the electronic ATSDR Request
Management Service System (ARMSS).
The following forms are now managed and submitted through ARMSS:
1. Health Education (HE) Form: Tracks community education efforts
regarding site-specific health risks.
2. Technical Assistance (TA) Form: Records routine requests and
programmatic responses.
3. Site Impact Assessment (SIA) Form: Estimates the number of
people protected and the disease burden prevented at hazardous waste
sites.
4. Success Story Form: Captures qualitative impacts and program
accomplishments on a quarterly basis.
5. Assessment Requests Form: A new collection tool that tracks
triage and scoping information for public health assessments and health
consultations.
The remaining forms are currently submitted via email using
Microsoft Word or Excel, with plans for future migration to electronic
systems to further simplify data collection. On an annual basis,
recipients submit the Annual Performance Report (APR) to provide a
comprehensive summary of progress, challenges, and updated work plans.
This is submitted alongside the Choose Safe Places for Early Care and
Education (CSPECE) Qualitative Narrative and CSPECE Quantitative forms,
which detail the implementation, reach, and site-screening metrics of
the safe siting program. Furthermore, recipients submit the
Recommendation Follow-up Form annually to monitor the ongoing status of
ATSDR recommendations. Finally, the SoilSHOP Form is submitted as
needed to collect data on voluntary soil screening events, including
the number of samples tested and health consultations provided.
Collectively, these data collection efforts enable ATSDR to monitor
progress toward program goals and improve overall quality. For the 30
funded recipients, the total estimated annual time burden across all 10
forms is 269 hours, consistent with the previous approved hours in
2023. ATSDR funds 30 recipients. Recipient reporting is required to
receive funding under the APPLTREE cooperative agreement.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Average
Number of Number of burden per Total
Type of respondents Form name respondents responses per response burden (in
respondent (in hours) hours)
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APPLETREE Recipients.............. ATSDR Health 30 17 4/60 34
Education (HE)
Activity Form.
ATSDR Technical 30 17 4/60 34
Assistance (TA)
Activity Form.
ATSDR Site Impact 30 3 7/60 11
Assessment (SIA)
Form.
ATSDR Success Story 30 4 30/60 60
Form.
[[Page 38714]]
APPLETREE Annual 30 1 2 60
Performance Report
(APR) Template.
CSPECE Qualitative 30 1 1 30
Narrative Form.
CSPECE Quantitative 30 1 15/60 8
Form.
ATSDR SoilSHOP Form. 10 1 7/60 1
ATSDR Recommendation 30 4 10/60 20
Follow-up Form.
ATSDR Requests for 30 3 7/60 11
Certified and Non-
certified PHAs/HCs
Form.
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Total......................... .................... ............ .............. ........... 269
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2026-12967 Filed 6-25-26; 8:45 am]
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