41338 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 148 / Friday, August 1, 1997 / Notices

(small lake); and South Fork/War Fork

No. 3A (large lake). Preliminary studies

concluded that the Horse Lick and

Water Fork watershed should be

preserved due to environmental

sensitivities. Of the sites previously

considered, local officials are proposing

that the preferred alternative sites for an

impoundment structure are located

within the Laurel Fork watershed. There

are two primary dam sites to be

considered—(1) Laurel Fork near the

confluence with Indian Creek and (2)

Laurel Fork near the Highway 290

Bridge. The EIS proposes to document

the extensive analyses already

performed and evaluate in detail the

two sites that have been designated as

preferred alternatives by local officials.

Which ever site is chosen, the applicant

and Empowerment Zone officials will

be required to secure a construction

permit from the Kentucky Department

for Environmental Protection, Division

of Waters and a Section 10, Rivers and

Harbor Act permit from the Department

of the Army, Corps of Engineers.

Dick Mansfield,

Assistant Administrator, Water and

Environmental Programs.

[FR Doc. 97–20336 Filed 7–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR

SEVERELY DISABLED

Procurement List; Additions

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From

People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled.

ACTION: Additions to the procurement

list.

SUMMARY: This action adds to the

Procurement List commodities and

service to be furnished by nonprofit

agencies employing persons who are

blind or have other severe disabilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 2, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase

From People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled, Crystal Square 3, Suite 403,

1735 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202–3461.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Milkman (703) 603–7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

February 21, June 6 and 13, 1997, the

Committee for Purchase From People

Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

published notices (62 F.R. 8003, 31065

and 32288) of proposed additions to the

Procurement List.

The following comments pertain to

Strap, Webbing (5340–01–114–7712):

Comments were received from the

current contractor for this webbing strap

and from another manufacturer of

webbing straps. The current contractor

indicated that addition of the strap to

the Procurement List would have a

severe adverse impact on the company

because of the loss of tooling and

equipment costs and possible loss of

jobs in a firm that had recently

substantially reduced its manufacturing

staff. The other manufacturer objected to

the Committee removing from the

competitive marketplace yet another

Government item it considers itself

capable of making.

This strap represents a very small

percentage of the current contractor’s

total sales. Tooling and equipment costs

are a business decision a contractor

undertakes to get specific business.

Because no company is guaranteed

continuing contracts under the

Government’s competitive bidding

system, the contractor could lose this

investment even if the Committee did

not add the strap to the Procurement

List. While the contractor noted that it

had reduced its staff recently, it did not

indicate that its sales, which expanded

considerably over the past decade, had

fallen to the point that this contract

represented a significant portion of its

business. In addition, the Committee

has been advised by the contracting

activity that there is a substantial

amount of other webbing strap business

that has not been placed on the

Procurement List, which represents

potential business for the current

contractor and other commercial firms.

For all these reasons, the Committee has

concluded that addition of the strap to

the Procurement List will not have a

severe adverse impact on the current

contractor.

The Committee does not consider loss

of the opportunity to bid on

Government procurements of an item

for which a bidder does not hold a

contract to constitute severe adverse

impact on a company, because the

company would lose only the hope of

getting a contract and not actual

business. While the commenting

manufacturer has been raising the same

argument periodically with the

Committee for many years, it has not

been able to show actual impact on its

business from Procurement List

additions where it has not been the

current contractor. Moreover, as noted

above, a large number of webbing straps

remain available for the commenting

manufacturer to compete to supply.

Consequently, the Committee has

concluded that addition of this webbing

strap to the Procurement List will not

have a severe adverse impact on the

commenting manufacturer.

After consideration of the material

presented to it concerning capability of

qualified nonprofit agencies to provide

the commodities and service and impact

of the additions on the current or most

recent contractors, the Committee has

determined that the commodities and

service listed below are suitable for

procurement by the Federal Government

under 41 U.S.C. 46–48c and 41 CFR 51–

2.4.

I certify that the following action will

not have a significant impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

The major factors considered for this

certification were:

1. The action will not result in any

additional reporting, recordkeeping or

other compliance requirements for small

entities other than the small

organizations that will furnish the

commodities and service to the

Government.

2. The action will not have a severe

economic impact on current contractors

for the commodities and service.

3. The action will result in

authorizing small entities to furnish the

commodities and service to the

Government.

4. There are no known regulatory

alternatives which would accomplish

the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in

connection with the commodities and

service proposed for addition to the

Procurement List.

Accordingly, the following

commodities and service are hereby

added to the Procurement List:

Commodities

Strap, Webbing

5340–01–114–7712

Tape, Electronic Data Processing

7045–01–086–2044

Mophead, Looped-end

7920–01–437–8636

7920–01–437–9805

7920–01–437–9806

7920–01–437–9810

7920–01–437–9811

Vest, Grenade Carrier

8415–01–317–1622

Service

Administrative/General Support Services,

Various Field Offices,

Richmond/Charlottesville, Virginia

This action does not affect current

contracts awarded prior to the effective

date of this addition or options that may

be exercised under those contracts.

Beverly L. Milkman,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 97–20357 Filed 7–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6353–01–P