The US should help out with the cost of cleaning Morgan's Point, said a US lawmaker after having a breakfast meeting with a delegation from Bermuda yesterday.

Representative Diane Watson said the Americans bore responsibility for the toxic waste and oil that was left on the former US Naval Air Station Annex when the military pulled out in 1995, ending its 99-year lease on the site prematurely.

"We feel that the US, since there was a long-term base there, has a responsibility to clean it up," Rep. Watson said.

Morgan's Point has been earmarked as the site for a new hotel with the Jumeirah group lined up to operate the resort at the site.

Government has previously stated that it will cover the cost of any clean-up.

The California Democrat was speaking after the meeting in the House of Representatives dining room yesterday with Premier Ewart Brown and US Consul General Gregory Slayton, among others.

They were joined by Charlie Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxation legislation, an area of great interest to Bermuda.

Rep. G.K. Butterfield, whose father was Bermudian and who maintains close ties with the Island, hosted the breakfast, which was also attended by Rep. Maxine Waters and Rep. Barbara Lee, both California Democrats.

Cabinet Office Press Secretary Glenn Jones said last night: "Any support for a US Government clean-up of Morgan's Point from any member of Congress is welcomed news. The Premier continues to advocate on this issue at every available opportunity."

The US base at Morgan's Point was operational for more than half a century, but only after the military left was the extent of sewage and oil pollution discovered. A 2002 report by the Department of Environmental Protection of the Ministry of the Environment estimated that 520,000 gallons of oil and several tons of raw sewage had been pumped into Bassett's Cave on the site, and a further 55,000 gallons of jet fuel pumped underground.

Rep. Watson, who in 2006 was ranked the most liberal member of the US Congress by the National Journal, said the Premier had briefed the group on plans for a tourism and housing development at Morgan's Point.

A regular visitor to the Island, Rep. Watson said her interest in the site had been sparked by former United Bermuda Party MP Quinton Edness in the 1990s.

The cost of the clean-up necessary before development can take place has been estimated to be tens of millions of dollars.

And the issue of who should pay for that has been a factor in delaying development of the site.

An agreement between the US, Britain and Bermuda in 2002 apparently cleared the US of financial responsibility for the clean-up, a deal which saw the US pay out $11 million for the replacement of the Longbird Bridge. But Rep. Watson would like to see her country "do the right thing" when it comes to getting rid of the mess it left behind.

"We left it in a polluted state, which meant Bermuda has not been able to develop it and I would be supportive of a move to involve the US Navy in cleaning it up," Rep. Watson said.