National Guard : WV Guard provides support to Big Sandy River oil spill

By Capt. Holli Nelson | West Virginia National Guard | January 12, 2018

KENOVA, W.V. - The West Virginia National Guard's 35th Civil Support Team is providing support to local responding agencies working an oil spill from a sunken towboat along the Big Sandy River.

The 35th CST is providing personnel for environmental sampling and monitoring as a part of their on-scene support to the U. S. Coast Guard.

'The West Virginia National Guard is committed to assisting our civil authorities as they work through this response effort,' said Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer, the Adjutant General of the WVNG. 'This is a core component of what we do in the National Guard - help out our citizens and partner agencies throughout the State whenever they need us.'

The 35th CST supports the State of West Virginia and civil authorities in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosives (CBRNE) domestic incident by identifying unknown agents or substances at a site, assessing current and project consequences, advising on response measures and assisting with the appropriate request for additional state and federal support.