Senator scolds management at ailing nuke plant
Calif Sen. Boxer denounces utility that runs ailing San Onofre nuclear plant, pushes for probe
FILE - In this July 19, 2012 file photo, surfers walk along a beach nearby the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant in San Onofre, Calif. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer wants the Justice Department to investigate if California utility executives deceived federal regulators about an equipment swap at the San Onofre nuclear power plant that eventually led to a radiation leak, The Associated Press has learned. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer says she's lost confidence in the utility that operates the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant.
The senator says Southern California Edison is dispensing "gobbledygook" about a 2004 internal letter that Boxer believes shows possible criminal misconduct within the company.
Boxer, the head of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, wants a federal probe into the letter that details an equipment swap that eventually led to a radiation leak.
The plant between Los Angeles and San Diego hasn't produced electricity since January 2012, after a small radiation leak led to the discovery of damage to tubes that carry radioactive water.
Edison says it complies with industry standards and best practices and would never install machinery that would endanger public safety.
