3 Senators Call for Probe Based on Nuke Safety Issues Cited By AP

"Three U.S. senators, alarmed by findings of an Associated Press investigation about aging-related problems at the nation’s nuclear power plants, are asking for a congressional investigation of safety standards and federal oversight at the facilities.

The three said the ongoing AP series raises questions about whether the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has worked with the atomic power industry to allow aging reactors to keep operating by weakening safety standards or not enforcing them at all.

The request came Wednesday in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, from Democrat Barbara Boxer of California. Boxer chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

The letter also was signed by independent Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island."

Jeff Donn reports for the Associated Press June 23, 2011.