Senator calls for probe of nuke evacuation plans

A U.S. senator from Pennsylvania is asking for a congressional investigation of whether evacuation planning has kept pace with population growth and increased power levels around nuclear power plants.

The request by Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. was prompted by an Associated Press investigative series on aging nuclear reactors.

An installment of the series earlier this week reported that population within 10 miles of U.S. plants has risen an average of 62 percent over the past 30 years. Population more doubled at 12 of 65 sites.

Casey, a Democrat who chairs the Joint Economic Committee, requested an investigation by the Government Accountability Office — the investigative arm of Congress.