61846 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Administration on Aging 

(AoA) is announcing that the proposed 

collection of information listed below 

has been submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Submit written comments on the 

collection of information by November 

22, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on the collection of information by fax 

202.395.6974 or by mail to the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

OMB, New Executive Office Bldg., 725 

17th St. NW., rm. 10235, Washington, 

DC 20503, Attn: Brenda Aguilar, Desk 

Officer for AoA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cynthia Bauer at 202–357–0145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, AoA 

has submitted the following proposed 

collection of information to OMB for 

review and clearance. 

The Third National Study of Older 

Americans Act Title III Service 

Recipients—NEW—This information 

collection, which builds on earlier 

national pilot studies and performance 

measurement tools developed by 

grantees in the Performance Outcomes 

Measures Project (POMP) will include 

consumer assessment surveys for the 

Home-delivered Nutrition Program, 

Transportation Services and the 

National Family Caregiver Support 

Program. Copies of the POMP 

instruments can be located at http://

www.gpra.net. Information collected 

through this study will be used by AoA 

to track performance outcome measures; 

support budget requests; comply with 

Government Performance and Results 

Act (GPRA) reporting requirements; 

provide information for OMB’s program 

assessment (PART) process; provide 

national benchmark information for 

grantees and inform program 

improvement and management 

initiatives. 

AoA estimates the burden of this 

collection of information as follows: 

Recipient Surveys—Respondents: 

individuals; Number of Respondents: 

6,000; Number of Responses per 

Respondent: one; Average Burden per 

Response: 17.5 minutes; Total Burden 

for Recipient Surveys: 1,750 hours—

Administrative Assistance form Area 

Agencies on Aging (AAA)—Number of 

AAAs: 250; Average Burden per 

Respondent: 2 hours; Total Burden for 

AAAs: 500 hours—Total Burden for 

Study: 2,250 hours.

Dated: October 18, 2004. 

Josefina G. Carbonell, 

Assistant Secretary for Aging.

[FR Doc. 04–23567 Filed 10–20–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4154–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

Environmental Health Specialist 

Network 

Announcement Type: New. 

Funding Opportunity Number: RFA 

EH 05013. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 93.283. 

Key Dates:

Letter of Intent Deadline: November 

22, 2004. 

Application Deadline: December 20, 

2004. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: Section 301 (42 U.S.C. 241) 

and section 317(k)(2) [42 U.S.C. 

247b(k)(2)] of the Public Health Services 

Act, as amended. 

Purpose: The purpose of this program 

is to help State health departments 

improve the practice of environmental 

health service programs by establishing 

a network of environmental health 

specialists (EHSs) who collaborate with 

epidemiologists and laboratorians to 

identify and prevent environmental 

factors contributing to foodborne and/or 

waterborne illness and disease 

outbreaks. This announcement expands 

the EHS Network (EHS-Net) from a 

project of FoodNet, a component of 

CDC’s Emerging Infections Program, to 

an independent program that includes 

drinking water safety (see Appendix A, 

as posted on the CDC Web site at http:/

/www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/EHSNet/

default.htm). 

This announcement covers: 

1. Food Safety (i.e., retail food safety) 

2. Water Safety (i.e., private and small 

drinking water systems not regulated 

under the Safe Drinking Water Act 

[SDWA]) 

Guiding principles for the EHS-Net 

can be found in Appendix B, as posted 

on the CDC Web site. 

This program addresses ‘‘Healthy 

People 2010’’ focus areas of 

Environmental Health, Food Safety, and 

Public Health Infrastructure. The 

program also addresses all goals of 

CDC’s ‘‘Strategy To Revitalize 

Environmental Public Health Services 

in the United States’’, located at http:/

/www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/default.htm.

Measurable outcomes of the program 

will align with the following 

performance goal for the National 

Center for Environmental Health 

(NCEH): Increase the capacity of State 

and local health departments to deliver 

environmental health services in the 

community. 

Research Objectives:

Research objectives of the network are 

to: (1) Monitor risk factors and 

prevention policies in foodborne and/or 

waterborne outbreaks and during 

routine (non-outbreak) environmental 

evaluations (i.e., inspections); (2) 

conduct applied behavioral, 

environmental epidemiologic, and 

laboratory research on factors 

contributing to disease transmission; (3) 

evaluate food safety and/or drinking 

water safety service programs and their 

activities; (4) implement and evaluate 

pilot prevention and intervention 

projects; and (5) develop and 

disseminate the results of network 

activities and projects to the 

environmental and public health 

communities. 

Activities:

Awardee activities for this program 

are as follows: 

• Staffing

1. Establish and maintain a full-time 

senior staff position in the agency’s food 

safety and/or drinking water safety 

program (i.e., one full-time equivalent 

per program), with full responsibility for 

implementation and coordination of 

activities of the EHS-Net related to food 

safety and/or drinking water safety 

(non-SDWA regulated systems). The 

person in this position must report 

directly to a senior environmental 

health service program official who has 

agency (State and/or local) authority to 

participate in EHS-Net activities. The 

person in this position also must have 

demonstrated leadership skills; 

technical knowledge and program 

experience with the food safety and/or 

drinking water safety program; 

knowledge and understanding of the 

appropriate State environmental health 

program (food safety and/or drinking 

water safety); and communication skills 

necessary to effectively promote and 

facilitate network activities. The person 

will be involved in study design, data 

analysis and interpretation, and 

publication of results. The person also 

will be responsible for the accuracy, 

quality, and timely reporting of all data 

submitted to CDC’s EHS-Net Web-based 

information system (See Appendix A, as 

posted on the CDC Web site). 

2. Identify an existing staff position in 

the health agency’s program with 

responsibilities and organizational 

authority for foodborne and/or 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 61847

waterborne disease surveillance. The 

individual should know and understand 

the epidemiology and surveillance of 

foodborne and/or waterborne disease; 

demonstrate the leadership ability to 

inform and guide decisions concerning 

specific activities of the network; have 

the ability to lead and coordinate 

proposed activities; and possess a 

knowledge of the agency’s 

environmental service program (food 

and/or drinking water). The individual 

should be active in study design, data 

analysis and interpretation, and 

publication of results. 

3. Existing staff position(s) in State 

and/or local agencies with 

responsibility for carrying out specific 

EHS-Net activities also may be 

identified. These persons should have 

the technical program experience 

needed to implement proposed 

activities; an understanding of the State 

food and/or drinking water program; 

and the communication skills necessary 

to effectively implement proposed 

activities. 

• State Agency Collaboration and 

Planning 

1. Strengthen the partnership between 

the health agency and other State 

agencies responsible for food safety and/

or drinking water safety (i.e., 

departments of agriculture; agencies for 

institutional care, education, and 

environmental protection; etc.) by 

establishing an interagency plan that 

identifies complementary 

responsibilities and support functions to 

carry out planned EHS-Net activities. 

The interagency plan should address 

policies and programs, technical 

assistance, and resources; and identify 

participating local agencies. 

2. Establish the EHS-Net in a defined 

area, which could include either an 

entire State or a geographically defined 

area (or areas) within a State that 

represents both rural and urban 

communities. Geographically defined 

areas may be represented as cities, 

counties, townships, parishes, or 

districts as defined by the public health 

agency or other partnering agency. 

Within this geographically defined area, 

local health agencies and/or other local 

agencies with regulatory responsibility 

for food safety and/or drinking water 

safety must be identified as partners.

3. Within the geographically defined 

area, develop partnerships with local 

agencies and others to provide in-kind 

assistance or other cost-sharing support 

to complement the basic assistance 

obtained from CDC to support network 

activities. 

4. Establish and/or sustain effective 

partnerships with other public or 

private organizations interested in 

addressing environmental health 

services issues related to their 

effectiveness in preventing disease (e.g., 

universities, schools of public health, 

standard-setting organizations, multijurisdictional commissions with 

environmental responsibilities, 

community-based organizations, other 

Federal and State government agencies, 

research organizations, nongovernmental organizations and 

foundations). 

• Organize the network to: 

1. Maintain the ability to 

accommodate changes in specific 

activities and priorities as the public 

health system’s need for information 

changes, or as new and/or reemerging 

health problems or environmental 

issues emerge. 

2. Include both rural and urban 

populations. 

3. Have the capacity to conduct 

multiple, concurrent projects. 

4. Enlist participation of local public 

health departments and other public or 

private organizations with a role in 

protecting the public’s health. 

• Operate the network to function 

effectively as part of a national network 

of EHSs. Collaborate with CDC and 

other EHS sites, through the EHS-Net 

steering committee and EHS working 

groups, to establish priorities, 

coordinate and monitor projects, and 

ensure that projects address existing and 

emerging infections issues. 

• Propose and conduct activities in 

collaboration with CDC and appropriate 

partner agencies or organizations. 

Collaborate with CDC and other network 

sites to finalize protocols for network 

activities. Collaborate with CDC and 

other network sites to develop mutually 

agreed upon standardized protocols. 

1. Categories of food safety activities: 

(a) Monitoring of risk factors and 

prevention policies for foodborne 

disease in outbreak investigations and 

during routine (non-outbreak) 

environmental evaluations (i.e., 

inspections). This involves improving 

the data collection instrument and 

actual data collection and reporting data 

collected to CDC through the EHS-Net 

Web-based information system (see 

Appendix A, as posted on the CDC Web 

site). This also may involve collection of 

food and/or environmental surface 

samples and submission to State, CDC, 

or other laboratories. 

(b) Applied behavioral, environmental 

epidemiologic, and laboratory research. 

Examples of potential behavioral 

projects include development of 

projects to evaluate barriers and 

facilitators for implementation of 

intervention strategies by food workers 

or managers; barriers and facilitators for 

EHSs as risk communicators and risk 

managers; barriers and facilitators for 

food safety programs in enforcing 

regulatory requirements; and 

development and evaluation of training 

materials or prevention messages for 

EHSs, industry, or the public. Examples 

of potential environmental 

epidemiologic projects include 

descriptive epidemiology projects to 

determine the level of control of risk 

factors and status of food safety policies, 

and other studies to determine what 

factors and policies or combination 

prevent outbreaks of foodborne disease. 

Examples of potential laboratory 

research may include development or 

evaluation of environmental sampling 

techniques for norovirus or other 

pathogens of interest; development or 

evaluation of pathogen-specific 

environmental sampling techniques or 

policies for investigations of foodborne 

outbreaks, or for use during routine 

evaluations to establish baseline levels 

of pathogen-specific contamination; or 

projects to assess the route of pathogenspecific cross-contamination. 

(c) Evaluation of food safety programs 

and their activities. Potential projects 

would attempt to assess the 

effectiveness of food safety programs 

and/or specific activities in reducing 

disease in the population served. 

Implementation and evaluation of pilot 

prevention and intervention projects 

(i.e., evaluation of integrated 

communication projects designed to 

increase hand washing by food workers 

in restaurants, or evaluation of hand 

washing behaviors and the impact on 

infectious diseases in institutional food 

service). Potential projects could 

include evaluation of the effects of food 

workers’ or managers’ food safety 

training programs on active manager 

control of risk factors to foodborne 

outbreaks.

2. Propose and conduct these specific 

network activities for food safety: 

(a) Ongoing EHS-Net data collection 

activity in restaurants, and propose 

implementation of a similar activity in 

institutional foodservice settings (e.g., 

nursing homes, schools, day care 

centers, prisons) and in retail grocery 

stores (see Appendix A, as posted on the 

CDC website). 

(b) Ongoing activity to establish a 

denominator number of restaurants, day 

care centers, nursing homes, hospitals, 

State or local prisons, jails, schools, 

retail grocery stores, and other food 

service establishments in the State or 

designated geographic area. 

(c) Improved reporting of contributing 

factors to foodborne outbreaks through 

CDC’s Electronic Foodborne Outbreak 

Reporting System. 

61848 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 

3. Categories of drinking water safety 

activities: 

(a) Monitoring risk factors and 

prevention policies for waterborne 

disease in outbreak investigations and 

during routine (non-outbreak) 

environmental evaluations (i.e., 

inspections), especially for small, nonSDWA systems. This may involve 

development of data collection 

instruments, actual data collection, and 

reporting data collected to CDC through 

the EHS-Net web-based information 

system (see Appendix A, as posted on 

the CDC Web site). This activity also 

may involve collection of water samples 

for submission to State, CDC, or other 

laboratories. 

(b) Applied behavioral, environmental 

epidemiologic, and laboratory research. 

Examples of potential behavioral 

projects may include evaluation of the 

barriers and facilitators to private well 

testing programs, either by owners or 

through other means, or evaluation of 

programs designed to introduce private 

well testing during property transfers. 

Examples of potential environmental 

epidemiologic projects include defining 

the actual public health impacts of 

drinking water from largely unregulated 

sources by linking water quality to 

levels of exposure or illness or by 

linking other factors (such as extreme 

storm events) to health outcomes. 

Examples of potential laboratory 

research may include development or 

evaluation of sampling techniques for 

norovirus or other pathogens of interest 

in drinking water. 

(c) Evaluation of drinking water 

programs and their activities, especially 

as related to small systems not regulated 

under the SDWA. Potential projects 

could include evaluation of barriers or 

facilitators to improving drinking water 

from non-SDWA sources (such as lack 

of laboratory capacity to evaluate 

drinking water quality; lack of standards 

and guidelines for construction, 

maintenance, and monitoring of small 

systems, especially private wells; and 

fragmented responsibility and 

insufficient resources for oversight of 

small systems). Potential projects could 

include evaluation of existing or new 

programs to improve drinking water 

quality from small systems through 

testing or other monitoring; public 

awareness campaigns; implementation 

of standards and guidelines related to 

small systems; or development and 

implementation of targeted training and 

education for private well owners and 

operators of small drinking water 

systems.

• As part of network activities, collect 

and submit samples (i.e., food, water, or 

environmental samples) to designated 

laboratories for evaluation. Laboratories 

may include State, Federal, or academic 

facilities, as appropriate for the study 

proposed and approved by the EHS-Net. 

• Manage, analyze, and interpret data 

from network activities; and publish 

and disseminate results. 

In a cooperative agreement, CDC staff 

is substantially involved in the program 

activities, above and beyond routine 

grant monitoring. CDC Activities for this 

program are as follows: 

• Provide general coordination for the 

EHS-Net. 

• Serve as the primary contact for and 

seek input from the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA), the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) and other Federal agencies with 

expertise in food safety and drinking 

water safety program areas and interest 

in EHS-Net activities. 

• Seek input from participating food 

and drinking water programs to 

determine training needs of EHSs. 

Identify existing training resources. 

Develop unique training opportunities 

through partnerships within CDC, with 

other Federal agencies, and within the 

EHS-Net. Work with participating 

environmental health service programs 

to develop methods for effectively 

communicating the role of the EHS in 

protecting the health of their 

communities. 

• Provide technical assistance by 

participating in outbreak evaluations as 

requested by participating States. 

• Provide consultation, and scientific 

and technical assistance in the 

operation of the EHS-Net, and in 

designing, implementing, and 

evaluating individual EHS-Net projects. 

• Assist with analysis and 

interpretation of data from EHS-Net 

projects. 

• Participate in the dissemination of 

findings and information stemming 

from EHS-Net projects.

• Assist in monitoring and evaluation 

of scientific and operational 

accomplishments of the EHS-Net and 

progress in achieving the purpose and 

overall goals of this program by 

conducting conference calls, site visits, 

hosting meetings of participants and 

conducting a process evaluation of the 

EHS-Net. 

• If needed, perform laboratory 

evaluation of samples collected in 

conjunction with EHS-Net projects and 

integrate results with data from other 

EHS-Net projects. 

• Assist in the development of 

research protocols for Institutional 

Review Board (IRB) review by all 

institutions participating in any 

research project involving human 

subjects and CDC scientists as coinvestigators. CDC project managers will 

ensure that all relevant organizational 

IRBs have given their written approval. 

The CDC IRB will review and approve 

the protocol initially and at least 

annually until the research project is 

completed. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award:

This award is a Cooperative 

Agreement. CDC involvement in this 

program is listed in the Activities 

Section above. 

Mechanism of Support: U01. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2005. 

Approximate Total Funding: Up to 

$2,100,000 will be available in 2005. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 14. 

Food Safety will involve a total 

number of 10 awards, eight of which 

will be targeted to existing awardees 

and two to new applicants. A total of 

four awards for Drinking Water Safety 

will be targeted exclusively for existing 

awardees. 

Approximate Average Award:

$100,000 (This amount is for the first 

12-month budget period, and includes 

both direct and indirect costs.) 

Floor of Award Range: $75,000. 

Ceiling of Award Range: $150,000 per 

program (food program/drinking water 

program). 

Anticipated Award Date: March 30, 

2005. 

Budget Period Length: 12 Months. 

Project Period Length: 5 years. 

Throughout the project period, CDC’s 

commitment to continuation of awards 

will be conditioned on the availability 

of funds, evidence of satisfactory 

progress by the recipient (as 

documented in required reports), and 

the determination that continued 

funding is in the best interest of the 

Federal Government. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible Applicants 

Existing EHS-Net awardees may apply 

for both food safety and drinking water 

safety awards; new applicants may 

apply only for food safety awards. 

Existing EHS-Net awardees are State 

infectious disease programs currently 

funded by CDC through the Emerging 

Infection Program (EIP), program 

announcement number 00011, and 

participating in the existing EHS-Net 

project under the EIP’s FoodNet 

program with a current EHS-Net project 

period that expires December 31, 2004. 

Those states are California, Connecticut, 

Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, New 

York, Oregon, and Tennessee. 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 61849

New applicants are State infectious 

disease programs located in public 

health agencies in the 50 States. 

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

Matching funds are not required. 

Applicants must demonstrate in-kind or 

other cost-sharing arrangements with 

partnering State and local agencies and 

with other partnering agencies or 

organizations as a demonstration of the 

capacity to carry out program activities. 

See V.1. Criteria.

III.3. Other 

If you request a funding amount 

greater than the ceiling of the award 

range, your application will be 

considered non-responsive, and will not 

be entered into the review process. You 

will be notified that your application 

did not meet the submission 

requirements. 

Special Requirements:

If your application is incomplete or 

non-responsive to the requirements 

listed in this section, it will not be 

entered into the review process. You 

will be notified that your application 

did not meet submission requirements. 

• Late applications will be considered 

non-responsive. See section ‘‘IV.3. 

Submission Dates and Times’’ for more 

information on deadlines. 

• CDC requires that you submit a LOI 

if you intend to apply for this program. 

The LOI will be used to gauge the level 

of interest in this program, and allow 

CDC to plan the application review. 

Although the LOI will not be evaluated, 

and does not enter into review of your 

subsequent application, failure to 

submit a timely LOI will preclude you 

from submitting an application. 

• Funding preferences for existing 

EHS-Net awardees will be for those sites 

that: demonstrate, through their 

application, success in implementing 

EHS-Net activities related to food safety 

while part of the EHS-Net project under 

CDC’s FoodNet project; demonstrate 

future in-kind or other cost-sharing 

arrangements with local agencies 

identified as partners; demonstrate 

leveraging of existing funding received 

from CDC or other Federal agencies for 

food safety and/or drinking water safetyrelated projects; and apply to expand 

their activities to include drinking water 

safety. 

• For drinking water safety, funding 

preference will be given to applicants 

who have the capacity to address water 

safety issues related to small water 

systems (including private wells) that 

are not regulated under the SDWA. 

• Funding preferences for new 

applicants will be given to applicants 

who: demonstrate leveraging of existing 

funding received from CDC or other 

Federal agencies for food-related 

projects; demonstrate in-kind or other 

cost-sharing arrangements with local 

agencies or organizations to support this 

project; and demonstrate existing 

successful working relationships 

between the infectious disease program 

and the environmental health service 

program (food safety).

Note: Title 2 of the United States Code 

Section 1611 states that an organization 

described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 

Revenue Code that engages in lobbying 

activities is not eligible to receive Federal 

funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.

Individuals Eligible To Become 

Principal Investigators: Any individual 

with the skills, knowledge, and 

resources necessary to carry out the 

proposed research is invited to work 

with their institution to develop an 

application for support. Individuals 

from underrepresented racial and ethnic 

groups as well as individuals with 

disabilities are always encouraged to 

apply for CDC programs. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

IV.1. Address To Request Application 

Package

To apply for this funding opportunity, 

use application form PHS 398 (OMB 

number 0925–0001 rev. 5/2001). Forms 

and instructions are available in an 

interactive format on the CDC Web site, 

at the following Internet address: http:/

/www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.

Forms and instructions also are 

available in an interactive format on the 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Web 

site at the following Internet address: 

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/

phs398/phs398.html.

If you do not have access to the 

Internet or if you have difficulty 

accessing the forms on-line, you may 

contact the CDC Procurement and 

Grants Office, Technical Information 

Management Section (PGO-TIM) staff at: 

770–488–2700. Application forms can 

be mailed to you. 

IV.2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

Letter of Intent (LOI): Your LOI must 

be written in the following format: 

• Maximum number of pages: Five 

pages. 

• Font size: 12-point unreduced. 

• Double-spaced. 

• Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches. 

• Page margin size: One inch. 

• Printed only on one side of page. 

• Written in plain language; avoid 

jargon. 

Your LOI must contain the following 

information: 

• Descriptive title of the proposed 

research 

• Name, address, e-mail address, and 

telephone number of the Principal 

Investigator. 

• Names of other key personnel. 

• Participating institutions. 

• Number and title of this 

announcement. 

Application: Follow the PHS 398 

application instructions for content and 

formatting of your application. If the 

instructions in this announcement differ 

in any way from the PHS 398 

instructions, follow the instructions in 

this announcement. For further 

assistance with the PHS 398 application 

form, contact PGO-TIM staff at 770–

488–2700, or contact GrantsInfo, 

Telephone (301) 435–0714, e-mail: 

GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

Your research plan should address 

activities to be conducted over the 

entire project period. 

You are required to have a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number to apply for a 

grant or cooperative agreement from the 

Federal government. The DUNS number 

is a nine-digit identification number, 

which uniquely identifies business 

entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is 

easy and there is no charge. To obtain 

a DUNS number, access http://

www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1–

866–705–5711. For more information, 

see the CDC Web site at: http://

www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/

pubcommt.htm. If your application form 

does not have a DUNS number field, 

please write your DUNS number at the 

top of the first page of your application, 

and/or include your DUNS number in 

your application cover. 

This announcement uses the modular 

budgeting as well as non-modular 

budgeting formats. See: http://

grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/

modular.htm for additional guidance on 

modular budgets. Specifically, if you are 

submitting an application with direct 

costs in each year of $250,000 or less, 

use the modular budget format. 

Otherwise, follow the instructions for 

the non-modular budget research grant 

applications.

You must submit a project narrative 

with your application forms. Each 

narrative must be submitted in the 

following format: 

• Maximum number of pages: 

36—If applying for both food and 

water safety. If your narrative exceeds 

the page limit, only the first 36 pages 

which are within the page limit will be 

reviewed. 

18—If applying for only food safety. If 

your narrative exceeds the page limit, 

61850 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 

only the first 18 pages which are within 

the page limit will be reviewed. 

• Font size: 12 point unreduced 

• Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches 

• Page margin size: One inch 

• Printed only on one side of page 

• Held together only by rubber bands 

or metal clips, not bound in any other 

way 

The application should include only 

one section for each item listed below. 

If applying for both food and drinking 

water safety, provide separate staffing 

plans and budgets. The application 

must include the following items in the 

order listed: 

(1) Background (not more than 6 

pages if applying for food and water 

safety; not more than 3 pages if applying 

for food safety): 

Describe the background and 

objectives of this cooperative agreement. 

Describe the responsibilities, problems, 

constraints, and complexities that may 

be encountered in establishing and 

operating the EHS-Net. Describe the 

roles and responsibilities of participants 

in the EHS-Net. Describe the designated 

geographic area for this cooperative 

agreement and its population. 

(2) Capacity (not more than 10 pages 

if applying for food and water safety; 

not more than 5 pages if applying for 

food safety): 

(1) Describe your agency’s authority to 

conduct food and/or waterborne disease 

surveillance activities. Describe your 

agency’s authority, and the authority of 

other partners, to conduct outbreak 

investigations and routine 

environmental evaluations (i.e., 

inspections or surveys). Describe the 

food and/or water safety program’s 

authority to evaluate the effectiveness of 

regulatory requirements, programs, and 

activities in preventing disease and 

developing new disease prevention 

strategies. 

(2) Describe the organizational 

structure of the health agency’s disease 

surveillance programs (foodborne and/

or waterborne disease), and how that 

structure supports environmental health 

service programs (food safety and/or 

drinking water safety). Describe the 

organizational structure of the food and/

or water safety program. 

(3) For food safety programs, identify 

the State or local agency with 

responsibility for restaurants, retail 

grocery stores, schools, day care centers, 

nursing homes, hospitals, mobile food 

units, State and local prisons, and other 

food service establishments, and the 

way they will participate in this 

cooperative agreement. 

(4) For drinking water safety 

programs, identify the State or local 

agency or organization(s) with 

responsibility for private and small 

drinking water systems and describe 

how these various agencies or 

organizations will participate in this 

cooperative agreement.

(5) Characterize your agency’s and 

your significant partner’s relationship 

with local environmental health service 

programs (food safety and/or drinking 

water safety). 

(6) Characterize the role of the 

specific local environmental health 

services programs (food and/or drinking 

water), or other public health-related 

programs or agencies, that will be 

participating as active partners in this 

cooperative agreement. 

(7) Describe how the health agency’s 

disease surveillance program uses 

existing CDC or other Federal, State, or 

local funds to support foodborne or 

waterborne disease surveillance, and 

how this program announcement can be 

synergistically linked to existing 

activities. 

(8) Describe any current or past 

activities of the health agency’s disease 

surveillance program to assist an 

environmental health service program(s) 

to improve or assess prevention efforts. 

(3) Operational Plan (not more than 

10 pages if applying for food and water 

safety; not more than 5 pages if applying 

for food safety): 

Using the examples of activities 

described above as a guide, describe the 

operational plan for the EHS-Net in the 

State. 

(1) For food safety, propose the three 

specific activities identified under the 

previously listed awardee activities. 

(2) Propose optional activities on the 

basis of local interest, concern, or 

expertise, and in keeping with the 

guiding principles of the EHS-Net. 

• Project Management and Staffing 

Plan (not more than 10 pages if applying 

for food and water safety; not more than 

5 if applying for food safety): 

Provide a separate, clearly labeled 

project management and staffing plan 

for food safety and/or drinking water 

safety. Indicate staff credentials, 

training, and skills to ensure staff can 

carry out recipient activities. 

Coordination between all 

participating programs should be fully 

described in the project management 

and staffing plans. All applicants should 

describe communication with staff 

working in related programs in other 

agencies. Each project management and 

staffing plan should include the 

following supporting documents in an 

application appendix: 

(1) For organizational structure 

provide: 

(a) A description of the proposed 

program management and control 

systems. Include an organizational chart 

that indicates placement of the 

proposed full-time senior staff position 

in the agency and show lines of 

authority, communication, 

accountability, and reporting. 

(b) A description of proposed staffing 

for network activities and job 

descriptions for existing and proposed 

positions that illustrate the staff’s level 

of responsibility for implementing 

activities. 

(c) A description of the business office 

responsible for monitoring Federal 

funds and how the office will work with 

proposed program management and 

staff. Identify the business staff person 

who will carry out these 

responsibilities.

(2) Include curriculum vitae (limited 

to two pages per person) for existing 

staff. 

(3) Provide letters from all outside 

agencies or partners identified in the 

operational plan that describe their 

expertise, capacity, and commitment to 

fulfill their proposed responsibilities. 

• Budget and Budget Justification (not 

included in narrative page limit): 

Provide a separate, detailed budget 

and budget justification for food safety 

and/or drinking water safety. Each 

budget and justification should 

immediately follow its corresponding 

staffing plan described under Project 

Management and Staffing Plan above. 

All applicants applying for both food 

safety and drinking water safety should 

provide a budget summary page that 

displays each separate program budget, 

as well as a total budget by object class 

category. Each budget and budget 

justification should include the 

following: 

(1) A detailed line-item budget for 

food safety and/or drinking water safety. 

The budget justification should describe 

and justify individual budget items that 

make up the total amount of funds 

requested in each object class category 

for the first 12-month budget period 

(January 1, 2005 through December 31, 

2005). 

(2) Travel: Participation is essential in 

the EHS-Net steering committee and 

CDC-sponsored training workshops for 

the EHS-Net. Travel for network 

implementation should be justified and 

related to implementation of activities. 

The annual travel budget should 

include travel funds for appropriate 

EHS-Net participants (including, at 

least, the senior EHS from the food and/

or drinking water program and one 

appropriate infectious disease program 

representative) to participate in a oneweek CDC-sponsored orientation 

meeting for FY2005 and one two-three 

day CDC-sponsored EHS-Net steering 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 61851

committee meeting each year. 

Participation in non-CDC-sponsored 

professional meetings (e.g., Conference 

for Food Protection, International 

Association of Food Protection 

educational conference, National Rural 

Water Association, National 

Environmental Health Association) may 

be requested, but must be directly 

relevant to EHS-Net activities. 

Participation may include the 

presentation of papers, poster sessions, 

or exhibits on EHS-Net activities. 

(3) Indirect Costs: If indirect costs are 

requested, include a copy of your 

agency’s current negotiated Federal 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. 

(4) Any cost sharing or in-kind 

support must be presented as a 

percentage of total requested costs and 

an amount. 

• Evaluation Plan (not included in 

narrative page limit): Include in the 

evaluation plan a process evaluation of 

the network to determine the 

effectiveness of participation by outside 

agencies and other partners. 

Additional information may be 

included in the application appendices. 

The appendices will not count toward 

the narrative page limit. This additional 

information includes: 

• Curricula Vitaes. 

• Resumes. 

• Organizational Charts. 

• Letters of Support.

Additional requirements that may 

require you to submit additional 

documentation with your application 

are listed in section ‘‘VI.2. 

Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements.’’

IV.3. Submission Dates and Times 

LOI Deadline Date: November 22, 

2004. 

CDC requires that you submit a LOI if 

you intend to apply for this program. 

The LOI will be used to gauge the level 

of interest in this program, and allow 

CDC to plan the application review. 

Although the LOI will not be evaluated, 

and does not enter into review of your 

subsequent application, failure to 

submit a timely LOI will preclude you 

from submitting an application. 

Application Deadline Date: December 

20, 2004. 

Explanation of Deadlines: LOIs and 

Applications must be received in the 

CDC Procurement and Grants Office by 

4 p.m. eastern time on the deadline 

date. If you send your application by the 

United States Postal Service or 

commercial delivery service, you must 

ensure the carrier will be able to 

guarantee delivery of the application by 

the closing date and time. If CDC 

receives your application after closing 

due to: (1) Carrier error, when the 

carrier accepted the package with a 

guarantee for delivery by the closing 

date and time, or (2) significant weather 

delays or natural disasters, you will be 

given the opportunity to submit 

documentation of the carriers guarantee. 

If the documentation verifies a carrier 

problem, CDC will consider the 

application as having been received by 

the deadline. 

This announcement is the definitive 

guide on LOI and application 

submission address and deadline. It 

supersedes information provided in the 

application instructions. If your 

application does not meet the deadline 

above, it will not be eligible for review, 

and will be discarded. You will be 

notified that your application did not 

meet the submission requirements. 

CDC will not notify you upon receipt 

of your application. If you have a 

question about receipt of your 

application, first contact your courier. If 

you still have a question, contact the 

PGO-TIM staff at: 770–488–2700. Before 

calling, please wait two to three days 

after the application deadline to allow 

time for applications to be processed 

and logged. 

IV.4. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications 

Your application is subject to 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs, as governed by Executive 

Order (EO) 12372. This order sets up a 

system for state and local governmental 

review of proposed federal assistance 

applications. You should contact your 

state single point of contact (SPOC) as 

early as possible to alert the SPOC to 

prospective applications, and to receive 

instructions on your state’s process. 

Click on the following link to get the 

current SPOC list: http://

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/

spoc.html.

IV.5. Funding Restrictions 

Restrictions, which must be taken into 

account while writing your budget, are 

as follows: 

• CDC will assist applicants in the 

development of research protocols for 

Institutional Review Board (IRB) review 

by all institutions participating in any 

research project involving human 

subjects and CDC scientists as coinvestigators. CDC project managers will 

ensure that all relevant organizational 

IRBs have given their written approval. 

The CDC IRB will review and approve 

the protocol initially and at least 

annually until the research project is 

completed.

• Funds may not be used for data 

entry personnel because data collection 

activities are to be carried out by State 

and/or local EHSs and entered into the 

CDC EHS-Net Web-based information 

system. 

• Federal funds awarded under this 

program announcement may not be 

used to supplant State or local funds. 

• Awards will not allow 

reimbursement of preaward costs. 

If you are requesting indirect costs in 

your budget, you must include a copy 

of your indirect cost rate agreement. If 

your indirect cost rate is a provisional 

rate, the agreement should be less than 

12 months old. 

Guidance for completing your budget 

can be found on the CDC web site, at the 

following Internet address: http://

www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/

budgetguide.htm.

IV.6. Other Submission Requirements 

LOI Submission Address: Submit your 

LOI by express mail or delivery service 

to: Technical Information 

Management—PA# 05013, CDC 

Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 

Brandywine Rd., Atlanta, GA 30341. 

LOIs may not be submitted 

electronically at this time. 

Application Submission Address:

Submit the original and one hard copy 

of your application by mail or express 

delivery service to: Technical 

Information Management—PA# 05013, 

CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 

2920 Brandywine Rd., Atlanta, GA 

30341. 

At the time of submission, four 

additional copies of the application, and 

all appendices must be sent to: Mildred 

Williams-Johnson, CDC, National Center 

for Environmental Health, Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, NCEH/

ATSDR, MS E–28, 1600 Clifton Road, 

NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30333. 

Applications may not be submitted 

electronically at this time. 

V. Application Review Information 

V.1. Criteria 

Applicants are required to provide 

measures of effectiveness that will 

demonstrate the accomplishment of the 

various identified objectives of the 

cooperative agreement. Measures of 

effectiveness must relate to the 

performance goals stated in the 

‘‘Purpose’’ section of this 

announcement. Measures must be 

objective and quantitative, and must 

measure the intended outcome. These 

measures of effectiveness must be 

submitted with the application and will 

be an element of evaluation. 

The goals of CDC-supported research 

are to advance the understanding of 

biological systems, improve the control 

61852 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 

and prevention of disease and injury, 

and enhance health. In the written 

comments, reviewers will be asked to 

evaluate the application in order to 

judge the likelihood that the proposed 

research will have a substantial impact 

on the pursuit of these goals. 

Each application will be individually 

reviewed and scored. Each application 

will be allocated a total of 100 points, 

according to the following criteria: 

• Staffing (25 points) 

1. Has the applicant identified key 

professional personnel for assignment to 

the EHS-Net and network projects? Has 

the applicant identified key professional 

personnel from other participating or 

collaborating institutions, agencies, and 

organizations outside the applicant’s 

agency that will be assigned to EHS-Net 

activities? Is a curriculum vitae 

provided for each in the appendix? Does 

the applicant clearly state participants’

roles in the management and operation 

of the EHS-Net? Does the applicant 

provide descriptions of participants’

experience in conducting work similar 

to that proposed in this announcement? 

2. Does the applicant describe all 

support staff and services to be assigned 

to the EHS-Net?

• Capacity (25 points) 

1. Does the applicant succeed in 

describing how they will implement 

multisite EHS-Net activities? 

2. Does the applicant describe the 

agency’s structure, and support from 

partnering programs and/or agencies? 

3. Is the level of commitment from, 

and capacity of, the local agencies 

identified as partners demonstrated by: 

(a) In-kind or other cost-sharing 

arrangements described in the 

application to assist in supporting 

network activities; (b) technical 

knowledge and experience of local EHSs 

identified as potential sources of 

support for EHS-Net activities; and (c) 

capacity to electronically submit data to 

CDC through a Web-based information 

system? 

4. Does the applicant describe the 

ability to develop and maintain 

cooperative relationships with public 

and private, local and regional, public 

health, laboratory, academic or other 

organizations that protect public health? 

5. Is support from partnering agencies, 

institutions, organizations, laboratories, 

and individuals included in the 

operational plan? Does the applicant 

provide (in an appendix) letters of 

support indicating collaborators’

commitments to participate in the EHSNet, and describing their anticipated 

role? 

6. Does the applicant describe the 

ability to participate in a multi-state 

collaborative network? 

• Operational plan (20 points) 

1. Does the applicant describe their 

plan for establishing and operating the 

EHS-Net? Does the applicant clearly 

identify the proposed organizational 

and operating structure and procedures? 

Does the applicant describe the roles 

and responsibilities of all participating 

agencies, organizations, institutions, 

and individuals? 

2. Does the applicant describe plans 

to collaborate with CDC and other EHSNet sites in the establishment and 

operation of the EHS-Net and individual 

EHS-Net projects, including project 

design and development (e.g., 

protocols), management and analysis of 

data, and synthesis and dissemination 

of findings? 

3. Does the applicant describe 

partnerships with necessary and 

appropriate organizations to establish 

and operate the proposed EHS-Net? 

4. Does the applicant describe plans 

to provide training opportunities for one 

or more of the following individuals, 

groups, or agencies: (a) Persons in 

professional training, such as 

environmental health specialists, 

infectious disease fellows, laboratory 

fellows, public health students; or (b) 

partner organizations within the EHSNet, such as EHSs, infection-control 

practitioners or local health department 

personnel? Does the applicant propose 

to act as a resource for States that are 

not participating in the EHS-Net, for 

example, by providing information, 

training, or recommendations about 

emerging public health issues and 

evolving public health practices? 

5. Does the applicant describe 

proposed projects consistent with the 

guiding principles of the network and 

the public health needs? 

6. Does the applicant describe how 

the EHS-Net organizational structure in 

the State will facilitate a swift response 

to new public health challenges in 

infectious diseases? Does the applicant 

describe how the proposed structure can 

facilitate the preparation of EHSs to 

recognize or respond to acts of terror?

• Leveraging of resources and in-kind 

support (20 points) 

1. Does the applicant describe existing 

funds from CDC or other Federal 

agencies that are used to support 

foodborne and/or waterborne disease 

surveillance and food safety and/or 

drinking water safety programs? Does 

the applicant describe how these 

existing projects will be synergistically 

linked to this proposal? 

2. Does the applicant describe in-kind 

or other forms of support from local 

agencies or organizations that will be 

used to supplement CDC funding to 

carry out network activities? 

3. Does the applicant describe a plan 

to solicit and secure financial and/or 

technical assistance from other public 

and private organizations (e.g., schools 

of public health, university medical 

schools, public health laboratories, 

community-based organizations, other 

Federal and State government agencies, 

research organizations, foundations) to 

supplement the core funding from CDC? 

• Understanding the objectives of the 

EHS-Net (10 points) 

Does the applicant: 

1. Understand the objectives of this 

cooperative agreement program? 

2. Describe the requirements, 

responsibilities, problems, constraints, 

and complexities that may be 

encountered in establishing and 

operating the EHS-Net? 

3. Understand the roles and 

responsibilities of participation in the 

EHS-Net? 

Recipient performance will be 

measured by: 

• Quality of collaboration between 

the appropriate environmental health 

service program (food safety and/or 

drinking water safety), and the 

appropriate disease surveillance 

program (foodborne or waterborne) as 

evidenced by their ability to identify 

projects that provide environmental 

health service programs with 

information assisting them with control 

of risk factors to illness and outbreaks. 

• Establishment of an interagency 

plan between State health and food 

safety and/or drinking water programs, 

and, when appropriate, their active 

participation in EHS-Net projects as 

evidenced by collection and submission 

of data or specimens, or evidence of 

other specific contributions to EHS-Net 

projects. 

• Collection and submission to 

agreed-upon recipients (e.g., CDC Webbased information system; CDC or State 

laboratories) of at least 95 percent of all 

data or specimens for those projects in 

which the State has agreed to 

participate. 

• Active participation of local 

environmental health service programs 

as evidenced by data or specimen 

collection or evidence of other specific 

contributions to EHS-Net projects. 

• Publication of articles and at least 

one formal presentation at a national 

conference during this cooperative 

agreement, as lead or supporting author. 

V.2. Review and Selection Process 

Applications will be reviewed for 

completeness by the Procurement and 

Grants Office (PGO) staff, and for 

responsiveness by NCEH. Incomplete 

applications and applications that are 

nonresponsive to the eligibility criteria 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 61853

will not advance through the review 

process. Applicants will be notified that 

their application did not meet 

submission requirements.

A Special Emphasis Panel will 

evaluate complete and responsive 

applications according to the criteria 

listed in the ‘‘V.1. Criteria’’ section 

above. 

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and 

Award Dates 

Awards anticipated to be effective 

March 30, 2005. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1. Award Notices 

Successful applicants will receive a 

Notice of Grant Award (NGA) from the 

CDC Procurement and Grants Office. 

The NGA shall be the only binding, 

authorizing document between the 

recipient and CDC. The NGA will be 

signed by an authorized Grants 

Management Officer, and mailed to the 

recipient fiscal officer identified in the 

application. 

Unsuccessful applicants will receive 

notification of the results of the 

application review by mail. 

VI.2. Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements 

45 CFR Part 74 and Part 92 

For more information about the Code 

of Federal Regulations, see the National 

Archives and Records Administration at 

the following Internet address: http://

www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-tablesearch.html.

The following additional 

requirements apply to this project: 

• AR–1 Human Subjects 

Requirements 

• AR–9 Paperwork Reduction Act 

Requirements 

• AR–10 Smoke-Free Workplace 

Requirements 

• AR–11 Healthy People 2010 

• AR–12 Lobbying Restrictions 

• AR–14 Accounting System 

Requirements 

Additional information on these 

requirements can be found on the CDC 

Web site at the following Internet 

address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/

funding/ARs.htm.

VI.3. Reporting Requirements 

You must provide CDC with an 

original, plus two hard copies, of the 

following reports: 

1. Interim progress report no less than 

90 days before the end of the budget 

period. The progress report will serve as 

your non-competing continuation 

application, and must contain the 

following elements: 

a. Current Budget Period Activities 

Objectives. 

b. Current Budget Period Financial 

Progress. 

c. New Budget Period Program 

Proposed Activity Objectives. 

d. Budget. 

e. Additional Requested Information. 

f. Measures of Effectiveness. 

2. Financial status report no more 

than 90 days after the end of the budget 

period. 

3. Final financial and performance 

reports, no more than 90 days after the 

end of the project period. 

These reports must be mailed to the 

Grants Management Specialist listed in 

the ‘‘Agency Contacts’’ section of this 

announcement. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For general questions about this 

announcement, contact: Technical 

Information Management Section, CDC 

Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 

Brandywine Rd., Atlanta, GA 30341, 

Telephone: 770–488–2700. 

For scientific/research issues, contact: 

Extramural Project Officer, Carol A. 

Selman, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, (F28), 

Chamblee, GA 30341, Telephone: 770–

488–4352, E-mail: cselman@cdc.gov.

For financial, grants management or 

budget assistance, contact: Vivian F. 

Walker, Contract Specialist, CDC 

Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 

Brandywine Rd., Atlanta, GA 30341, 

Telephone: 770–488–2724, E-mail: 

vwalker@cdc.gov.

VIII. Other Information 

Background information concerning 

EHS-Net can be found on the CDC web 

site at the following Internet address: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/EHSNet/

default.htm.

Dated: October 15, 2004. 

William P. Nichols, 

Acting Director, Procurement and Grants 

Office, Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention.

[FR Doc. 04–23618 Filed 10–20–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health/National 

Institute of Environmental Health 

Sciences 

Proposed Collection; Comment 

Request; Dust Mite Allergen Reduction 

Study

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

for opportunity for public comment on 

proposed data collection projects, the 

National Institute of Environmental 

Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National 

Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish 

periodic summaries of proposed 

projects to be submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and approval. 

Proposed Collection: Tile: Dust Mite 

Allergen Reduction Study. Type of 

Information Collection Request: New. 

Need and Use of Information Collection:

Asthmatics and others with dust mite 

allergies often implement strategies to 

avoid dust mite exposure, but have little 

objective evidence that their 

interventions are successful in reducing 

dust mite populations. Recently 

developed in-home test kits have 

introduced the capability to monitor the 

effectiveness of allergen reduction 

strategies by providing an affordable, 

simple way to measure dust mite 

allergens on a regular basis. The primary 

objective of this study is to determine if 

use of in-home test kits results in 

decreased dust mite allergen levels in 

home of children sensitive or allergic to 

dust mites. A secondary objective is to 

determine if use of in-home test kits 

result in attitudinal and behavioral 

changes related to implementing and 

maintaining dust mite reduction 

strategies. This study is a randomized 

intervention trial designed to test the 

efficacy of an in-home test kit in 

influencing behaviors to reduce dust 

mite allergen levels. Households will be 

recruited through flyers and will be 

screened for eligibility through a 

recruitment call line and a home visit to 

determine baseline dust mite levels in 

the household. Study participants will 

be randomly assigned to a treatment or 

control group. The treatment group will 

receive educational materials and an inhome test kit at set intervals, while the 

control group will receive educational 

materials alone. Vacuumed dust 

samples will be collected and delivered 

to the NIEHS laboratory for ELISA-based 

measurements of the dust mite allergens 

Der f 2 and Der p 2. A questionnaire will 

be used to collect information on home 

characteristics and on dust mite 

reduction attitudes and behaviors. Data 

will be collected at baseline, 6 months 

and 12 months. The results from this 

study will be used by NIEHS to plan 

future primary and secondary asthma 

prevention trials. 

Frequency of Response: After two 

stages of eligibility screening, data will 

be collected at baseline, 6-months, and 

12-months. Affected Public: Individuals 

or households. Type of Respondents:

Parents of children with dust-mite 

allergies. The annual reporting burden