A look at some sites studied as alternatives to Navy-Marine Corps training on Vieques:
— Eglin Range complex, an extensive land and water range in the northwest Florida panhandle. The Air Force uses it to test and develop weapons launched from aircraft.
— Camp Lejuene, a Marine Corps base 43 miles from Moorhead City, N.C. Naval gunfire is not allowed because it would have to be shot across the intercoastal waterway.
— Naval Air Station, Fallon, Nev., 70 miles east of Reno. The range currently is used by air wings from both coasts and has a heavy schedule already.
— Pinecastle Range, about 70 miles south of Jacksonville, Fla. In recent years, severe drought has curbed use of live weapons because of the fire hazard.
— Fort Stewart, 16 miles west of Savannah, Ga. Nearby commercial air corridors and extensive wildlife refuges impede large-scale operations. As well, about 250,000 people live within 20 miles.
— The Navy's Dare Range in northern North Carolina. Live bombing would be impossible because it "would literally turn the peatmoss/wetland ground into a lake," the study said.
— Cherry Point, N.C., is focused primarily on Marine Corps air strike training. Live bombing is limited due to noise restrictions.
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