Copyright 2009, The Associated Press
This June 14, 2007, photo made available by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shows some of the extensive rust that accumulated on piping carrying essential service water at the Byron nuclear plant in Illinois. 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 request came Wednesday, June 22, 2011 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. (AP Photo/Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
