COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is looking for the cause of a steam leak that led operators to shut down the Palisades nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan.

A three-member team Wednesday began inspecting the plant in Van Buren County's Covert Township.

Spokeswoman Prema Chandrathil (PRAY'-muh CHAN'-druh-thil) says the leak was coming from a control rod drive, which is part of the mechanism for shutting down the reactor. She says the steam has been confined to the building that houses the reactor, and no radiation has escaped into the environment.

Chandrathil says the leak must be fixed before the plant can resume operations. It's not associated with repairs earlier this summer that also forced a shutdown at the troubled plant.

The NRC has scheduled a public meeting for Sept. 12.