by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Senator Frank Blas, Jr. is offended by comments that were made during yesterday's hearing by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. He's specifically taken issue with comments made by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Jackalyne Pfannenstiel's reasoning for why the Department of Defense is so adamant about having a voting member on the Consolidated Commission on Utilities.

Blas says Pfannenstiel testified that DoD wants assurances that the operational standards are met for the military as far as water and power are concerned. "I think their reasoning is greatly offensive actually and I'm asking for the assistant secretary's assistance basically in reviewing that provision and not making the removal of that provision a negotiable part of this whole process," he told KUAM News. "That's just one more thing we're going to have to negotiate out."

Blas sent letters to Pfannenstiel and Undersecretary Robert Work, asking for specific details about how that specific provision was included in the National Defense Authorization Act. The Republican lawmaker has said he believes that the congresswoman was well aware of the amendment since its inclusion since May of 2010.