Natchees said the Business Committee will hold a meeting soon to answer questions tribal members have concerning the $190 million.

"It's an educational process. We will have some meetings in the very near future to update the tribal membership as to what has been transpiring, there are no dates set, but it will be in the near future."

Tribal members who protested in front of the federal building in Salt Lake City last week called for a congressional investigation into how the tribe won the release of the money and how it will be spent, but that appears unlikely.

Second District Congressman Jim Matheson was in Vernal the night before last Thursday's protest march and heard from tribal members at a town meeting. Ousted tribal Business Committee member Ron Wopsock told Matheson he has grave concerns over the recent release of the $190 million.

"I told him we want a congressional investigation and he said he knew nothing about the money at all," said Wopsock. Later, however, an aide for Matheson said the congressman said "he wasn't aware there were any problems" with the release of the money. "The first time he heard about any sort of concern is when we were in the Basin last week," said Mike Reber.

Matheson also said the current debate among tribal members sounds like an internal matter rather than one for Congress to pursue. "These are issues they have to solve themselves. It sounds like there is a difference of opinion about what agenda they want to pursue," said Matheson, adding he still plans to become better informed on the issue.

The Business Committee and Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent Chet Mills met with Matheson and some of Utah's other federal delegation or their aides last month to discuss the pending release of the $190 million.

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