Notice2025-19253
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 2, 2025
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
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 continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS). This system collects data from foodborne illness outbreak environmental assessments routinely conducted by local, state, territorial, or tribal food safety programs in health departments during foodborne outbreak investigations.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 189 (Thursday, October 2, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 189 (Thursday, October 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47762-47764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-19253]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-25-0980; Docket No. CDC-2025-0618]
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 continuing information
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project
titled National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS). This
system collects data from foodborne illness outbreak environmental
assessments routinely conducted by local, state, territorial, or tribal
food safety programs in health departments during foodborne outbreak
investigations.
DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before December 1, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2025-
0618 by either of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> 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. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments
to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking
portal (<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>) 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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a0507082a090e09440d051c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3c53515e7c5f585f125b534a">[email protected]</span></a>.
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
[[Page 47763]]
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses; and
5. Assess information collection costs.
Proposed Project
National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) (OMB
Control No. 0920-0980, Exp. 2/26/2026)--Revision--National Center for
Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
Background and Brief Description
CDC is requesting OMB approval for the National Environmental
Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) to collect data from outbreak
environmental assessments routinely conducted by local, state,
territorial, or tribal food safety programs during foodborne outbreak
investigations. Prior to the development of NEARS, environmental
assessment data were not collected at the national level. The data
reported through this surveillance system provides timely information
on the causes of outbreaks, including environmental factors associated
with outbreaks, and are essential to environmental public health
regulators' efforts to respond more effectively to outbreaks and
prevent future, similar outbreaks. NEARS was developed by the
Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net), a collaborative
network of CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and state and local food safety
programs. The network consists of environmental health specialists
(EHS), epidemiologists, and laboratorians. EHS-Net developed a
standardized protocol for identifying, reporting, and analyzing data
relevant to foodborne illness outbreak environmental assessments. While
conducting environmental assessments during foodborne outbreak
investigations is routine for food safety program officials, reporting
information from the environmental assessments to CDC is not routine.
Local, state, federal, territorial, and tribal food safety programs are
the primary respondents for this data collection. One official from
each participating program will report environmental assessment data on
outbreaks. These programs are typically located in public health or
agriculture agencies. In the U.S., there are approximately 3,000 such
agencies.
It is not possible to determine exactly how many outbreaks will
occur in the future, nor where they will occur. Forty (40) programs
reported outbreaks to NEARS from 2021-2024. Based on our experience
over those years, we expect a maximum of six additional sites (two per
year) to register with and report data to NEARS over the next approval
cycle, for a total of 46 reporting programs. We also expect each
program to report an average of six outbreaks annually.
The activities associated with NEARS that require a burden estimate
consist of training, observing, interviewing managers, and reporting
the data. The first activity is the training for the new food safety
program personnel participating in NEARS. These staff will be
encouraged to attend a Microsoft Teams/Zoom Meeting (i.e., webinar)
training session on using the NEARS data entry system, conducted by CDC
staff. Training burden is based on the maximum expected participation
from the reporting programs which could be up to 10 additional local
and state health departments. We estimate the burden of this training
to be a maximum of two hours. Respondents will only be required to take
this training one time. Assuming a maximum participation of up to six
new programs and about five staff being trained at each participating
program, the total estimated annual burden associated with this
training is 60 hours.
New food safety program personnel participating in NEARS will also
be encouraged to complete CDC's Environmental Assessment Training
Series (EATS). This e-Learning course provides training to staff on how
to use a systems approach in foodborne illness outbreak environmental
assessments. We estimate the burden of this training to be a maximum of
10 hours. Respondents will only take this training one time. Assuming a
maximum participation of up to six new programs and approximately five
staff being trained at each program, the estimated annual burden
associated with this training is 300 hours.
Program respondents (one official from each participating program)
will record environmental assessment data on pen and paper for each
establishment associated with an outbreak. Most outbreaks are
associated with only one establishment; however, some are associated
with multiple establishments. We estimate a maximum of four
establishments will be associated with any given outbreak. Recording
for each assessment will take about 25 minutes. The burden for this
activity is 460 hours.
Program respondents will conduct a manager interview with each
establishment associated with an outbreak and initially record the data
with pen and paper. Each interview will take about 15 minutes. The
burden for this activity is 276 hours.
Respondents will also report this environmental assessment and
manager interview data into the NEARS web-based system. This data entry
is expected to take approximately 25 minutes for the environmental
assessment data and 20 minutes for each manager interview (assuming a
maximum of four). The burden for this activity is 207 hours.
The retail food managers interviewed are another group of
respondents. Again, assuming a maximum number of 276 outbreaks, the
estimated annual burden is 276 hours.
The total estimated annual burden for this information collection
is 1,579 hours. There is no cost to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Type of respondents Form name Number of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (in hours) (in hours)
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Food safety program personnel. NEARS 30 1 2 60
introduction 30 1 10 300
training. 46 24 25/60 460
NEARS e-learning 46 24 15/60 276
(screenshots). 46 6 45/60 207
NEARS
environmental
assessment data
(recording
form).
NEARS manager
interview
(recording
form).
NEARS web entry
(screenshots).
Retail food personnel......... NEARS manager 1,104 1 15/60 276
interview.
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[[Page 47764]]
Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 1,579
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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. 2025-19253 Filed 10-1-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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