IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Scientists from around the country are meeting in Idaho Falls this week to discuss technical problems plaguing a nuclear waste treatment plant there.

The Post Register reports that the Integrated Waste Treatment was supposed to use steam to transform 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive waste into a safer powder form. But it has remained in testing mode for several years, unable to begin the treatment that was supposed to be finished in 2012.

U.S. Department of Energy officials said Wednesday they hope this week's "chemistry summit" will lead to a solution to the plant's problems. The agency says it has not given up on the plant and hopes it can begin safely treating waste before a Sept. 30 deadline set by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

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