But Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons said he is not about to send Government-hired experts to inspect the US Bases in Bermuda.

"I'm satisfied the process is in place to deal with any problems that might arise,'' Sen. Simons told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

The US Naval Annex in Southampton is closed, and the US Naval Air Station at St. David's is to close in September of 1995.

This week, Canadian Press reported allegations that the US Navy was refusing to clean up "widespread pollution'' at Argentia, which the Americans opened at the same time as NAS Bermuda, and which is closing this fall.

Mr. Ken Browne, the leader of the civilian workers at Argentia, said the Americans would only clean up "imminent health or safety hazards'' at the base in southern Newfoundland.

"If it's choking you or falling down on your head, they'll fix it,'' he told Canadian Press. "If it's underground or hidden, they won'.'' Mr. Browne was reacting to an environmental audit conducted at Argentia by the Canadian Government. It was made public last Friday.

"It discovered petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organic contaminants around the hazardous waste building and landfills on the base,'' CP said. There were also "signs of elevated levels of heavy metals and other contaminants leaching into shellfish-rich waters of Placentia Bay.'' Under the lease signed between the United States and the United Kingdom when Newfoundland was still a British colony, the US has no responsibility for environmental problems left behind when the base is shut down. The lease for the Bermuda Base is similar.

But Sen. Simons said that in Bermuda, the US Navy had been very cooperative, appointing an environmental officer 18 months ago who was working closely with his own officials.

The Americans also commissioned several "independent'' environmental studies at the Bases, Sen. Simons said. "Several reports have been produced on subjects as diverse as sewage and air pollution.'' Some reports had just been received and were being studied by Environment Ministry officials, he said. "There's been a lot of cooperation.'' Bermuda was taking an organised approach to the Base closures, he said.

"If these matters are not handled well, there could easily be misunderstandings.'' He said he was not saying the Canadian Government had mishandled the closure of Argentia.

"The officials in the Ministry will clearly look out for the interests of Bermuda,'' said Sen. Simons, who saw no immediate need to send experts hired by Bermuda to inspect the Bases.

Later, "if we discovered something, we might have to call in expert assistance,'' he said.

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Simons said he was not aware of in what condition the Americans had promised to return Bermuda's land.

A secret US Defence Department report obtained by The Royal Gazette last year said it would cost more than $33 million to clean hazardous materials from the US Bases in Bermuda when they were closed.

The report by the department's Inspector General said the estimate included the clean-up of asbestos, hazardous waste, PCBs, underground storage tanks, and solid wastes.

At the time, the $33 million figure was downplayed by a US Navy officer, who said it included the cost of shipping all hazardous materials off the Island and returning the land to pristine condition.

The report acknowledged Defence Department obligations to restore the environment of any base it returned to a home government and to eliminate "known risks to health and safety.'' OHM Corp. of New Jersey has won a $50-million contract to do environmental clean-ups at several US Navy bases, including Bermuda's, the Navy reported last August.

Senator Gerald Simons.