Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

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.

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:

omb@cdc.gov.

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).

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

Type of respondents

Form name

Number of

respondents

Number of

responses per

respondent

Average

burden per

response

(in hours)

Total

burden

(in hours)

APPLETREE Recipients

ATSDR Health Education (HE) Activity Form

30

17

4/60

34

ATSDR Technical Assistance (TA) Activity Form

30

17

4/60

34

ATSDR Site Impact Assessment (SIA) Form

30

3

7/60

11

ATSDR Success Story Form

30

4

30/60

60

APPLETREE Annual Performance Report (APR) Template

30

1

2

60

CSPECE Qualitative Narrative Form

30

1

1

30

CSPECE Quantitative Form

30

1

15/60

8

ATSDR SoilSHOP Form

10

1

7/60

1

ATSDR Recommendation Follow-up Form

30

4

10/60

20

ATSDR Requests for Certified and Non-certified PHAs/HCs Form

30

3

7/60

11

Total

269

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]

BILLING CODE 4163-18-P