I have my political direction picked, just look at my profile pic

Sorry, couldn’t hear you over the roar of this mulcher…

That’s a valid concern, but they use dry cask storage. If you inter these casks underground, you can redirect any water that may seep into the storage chamber or use an impermeable cover over the casks. We do this a lot with mining wastes.

I’m not saying its not harmful, but it does drop in risk over time, and it is concentrated. In comparison, one waste rock dump I’m dealing with is about 237 ha in size, and contains 21 million tonnes of ML/ARD generating waste rock. Another mine I know will contain 3 billion m³ of tailings in their tailings storage facility.

Dealing with any waste is not cheap, though the level of effort is smaller with nuclear than traditional mining wastes. If you store the waste in engineered drums/cells etc. which are water tight and stick them underground, after siting the storage location well, you’re in pretty good shape.

I won’t contest nuclear plant upkeep.

Damnit, Stabby, I was trying (not very hard, mind you) to work.
There’s a lot of back and forth going on in this thread, a lot of it around environmental impact of coal, and land uses. I’ll try to clear some of this up. At worst, you’ll just get my ramblings on the topic.

1. Nuclear energy. I largely agree with @arrow74@lemmy.zip. Nuclear has a shitty stigma, and that really precludes it from being even a transitional energy source, particularly in North America. While the wastes live forever (essentially) they are concentrated, and after a century or so, they are generally similar to other toxic wastes (e.g., primarily alpha and beta radiation), and if properly stored, are pretty safe. I’m not a nuclear expert, however, so this is more of an opinion than anything, though maybe a bit more informed than the average schmoe (though schmoe I am).

2. Coal mining - historically, very destructive, no land use planning, just let the pit fill on its own, Metal Leaching and Acid Rock Drainage (herein: ML/ARD) issues. ML/ARD issues arise when you have metal and sulphur bearing rock that’s exposed to atmosphere over time. Sulphur oxidizes, drops pH, and leaches metals out of the rock. This can occur sometimes at neutral pHs but it’s less common and dependent on the metals in the rock. If you just leave the pit to fill on its own, it takes a long time, and you’re more prone to ML/ARD and water quality issues as a result. If you actively flood the pit, you can largely avoid these issues, but you still need to model, check, and monitor your future water quality so you don’t have a pit full of toxic crap. Usually, if water quality is poor, they can use semi-passive treatment (e.g. in pit bioreactors) or actively (water treatment plant) treat water until water quality is good enough to release to the surrounding environment, once the pit’s water elevation reaches whatever target they have set out for it.

@MythicalMenace@slrpnk.net points out how mining companies are often required to put money back into the towns around them. This is part of social closure of the mine, so they don’t leave behind ghost towns. Generally, though, it doesn’t work. Towns need another source of employment once the mine shuts down, but we’re largely starting to see mining companies be required to have some sort of social transition plan in place for workers and people connected to the mine.

2a - Mining wastes @grue@lemmy.world yes, coal wastes can be toxic, this links back to ML/ARD I mention earlier. Tailings are crushed (usually to sand sized) rock that’s been processed - they usually have faster ML/ARD onset due to their smaller particle size -> increased surface area. @SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world also tied to ML/ARD and water management -see #2 above

3 - coal plants: not much to add here, but they are often a source of metal deposition (via dust, fly ash), and radioactivity (radon in rock).

Don’t worry it’s all part of God’s plan /s

Just take a page out of the Praetorian play book, already.

I dated his mom for a while

Solar panels need an aperture.

Again, though, using gravity batteries or pumped hydro is a great way to manage excess juice, though these are expensive options.

Fucking preach

Mod approved. You’re going on the fridge

I’m very happy to be back.

Thanks @poVoq@slrpnk.net and team for dealing with the technical issues and for keeping us running

Idk but I’m cranking my hog rn hbu

I love this reference so much. For context, I’m on my 4th readthrough of the series.

Yes, you read that right.

kitties don’t do any harm

I don’t think victims, but pinched by the trap.

If you take 'epstein is a Russian agent’s like they are imply ‘epstein likely got his girls from Russian organized crime’ and ‘bill gates got an STD from a Russian hooker’, a picture starts to emerge.

It seems to be a russian extortion ring for Intel and secrets etc with Donald somehow involved as well.

The part I don’t get is how many people are willing to rape underaged girls. Sheesh.

I can’t express how much I wish my fellow Albertans, who want to join the US, to pack their things and head to their promised land.

The separatists movement has always been here. For decades even conservatives would laugh at someone suggesting ceding from Canada. Then PP came along and started riling them up and taking a page out of mein Kampf 2nd edition and here we are. That, and every equipment operator, truck driver and Derrick hand started listening to conservative podcasts and doing some ‘deep thinking’ without the requisite number of brain cells.

Fuckheads.