When Watkins proposed termination of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, despite the fact that they did not meet the established "readiness" benchmarks of policy, it contained no protections for the tribe's mineral rights. Only public outcry over loss of the mineral rights forced addition of protections for their oil into their termination bill. It was widely believed that the Alaskan natives rights to the Tongass National Forest had been forsaken in favor of corporate timber interests. The Western Oregon Terminations of the Siletz and Grand Ronde Tribes were seen by settlers and State politicians as a means of releasing tribal natural resources as a no-cost means of improving local economies.