Live-fire training topic for forum

SMYRNA - The Marine Corps will hold a public informational meeting tonight in Carteret County on proposed action that would expand the water restricted area around the Piney Island bombing range when live-fire training is under way.

The meeting will be held 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of Smyrna Elementary School in Down East Carteret County.

A second meeting will be held Tuesday in Bayboro.

According to a news release announcing the meeting, "the Marine Corps is proposing to expand a specific water restricted area which would be periodically off limits to the public only when live fire exercises are under way. We understand this may impact commercial and recreational fishing in this area during these periods and want your involvement in this process."

The Marine Corps has said that current safety restrictions at Bombing Target 11, Piney Island, known as BT-11, are insufficient for training with proposed weapons and any new restrictions will be designed with public safety as a first priority.

The proposed expansions of the BT-11 water restricted area, if adopted, would not be full-time restrictions and would be lifted when training is not scheduled.

The proposal includes a block training schedule of one week per month during the months of February through November. The proposed operational times of live fire have been established as 4 to 11 p.m. on scheduled days.

The proposed block training times would be scheduled two weeks in advance of the actual start date for the training.

BT-11 is located in northeastern Carteret County, with Cedar Island and the waters of Pamlico Sound to its east and the Neuse River and the border of Pamlico County to the west.

Both BT-11 and BT-9, Brant Island Shoal, which is also located in the vicinity, have been used by the Marine Corps, Navy, Army and other services for a variety of ordnance delivery training since the 1940s.

In early 2007, it was determined that the Marine Corps needed to study the impacts of training activities on its ranges, including BT-11 and BT-9, and the scope should include the effect of weapons currently used as well as weapons that might be used in the future.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Marine Corps is currently conducting an environmental assessment analyzing a number of possible alternatives for action, one of which will be a preferred alternative. If the environmental assessment finds that there are significant impacts from an alternative that the Marine Corps chooses to implement, a more detailed environmental impact statement on that alternative would be prepared.

No change is currently proposed for the BT-9 facility.