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Source: Greeley Tribune, Colo.mini storageJan. 05--Amid the continued controversial topic of fracking, a University of Northern Colorado professor decided this fall that if her students were going to be for or against something, they should know what they're talking about.It was time, in the energy unit of her Human Behavior and the Environment class, to learn a little more about the oil and gas industry sitting in her students' backyards."I think I am a skeptical environmental enthusiast, which also gets to the reality of world we live in, and we need energy," Pepper Mueller said of her own personal beliefs. "I think that to really be for or against something, you want to get the whole picture. You want to know what it looks like."So she contacted the Richardsons at Mineral Resources Inc., a Greeley-based, family owned oil and gas exploration company, and secured an invitation for a tour of an actual frac job being conducted by Halliburton at the company's Bestway drilling site at 35th Avenue and 4th Street in northwest Greeley.On a cold November day, the students walked through the site, saw the equipment, heard the noise, smelled the air, and all but one even touched the frac fluid, as they learned about a practice that had been debated so much in recent years.Onsite, it was a bit of organized chaos. A first impression for many in the tour was the incredible sound. During the actual frack- ing, there are a minimum of 12 semi trucks all rumbling their engines to provide the horsepower and the mixing of the frac fluids to pump down the well bore.Earplugs are a must to hear any conversation, and employees all have extras in their pockets."I will admit, that was my first impression, that it was hard to hear what they were saying," Mueller said. "I felt like they were trying hard to be transparent on how things worked and what the machines were for."Mueller said she and students were impressed with the ways the company worked to keep the site as environmentally sound as they could. The area was lined for potential spills; it even had a company onsite performing dust control.In final "reflection papers," one student wrote he was glad to see the entire site was lined, so if one of those semi trucks leaked oil, it would not seep into the ground.Mueller said she was surprised at the lack of dust and fumes on the site; she was happy to learn Halliburton used a closed-loop system, ensuring nothing pumped in or flowing out of the well would hit the ground.The tour even allowed the students to touch frac fluid, which reminded Mueller of the slime that she bought for her kids at the toy store when they were 儲存ounger. Students, she said, responded differently to the fluid and were surprised to learn the same chemicals could be found in chewing gum."I had one girl who totally reached out and touched it, and one girl just wouldn't because she was concerned it was dangerous and toxic," Mueller said. "I touched it. My fingers are still intact."The tour didn't completely change everyone's minds about their concerns of environmental dangers, Mueller said. At least, she said, they all said they learned something."One said I had a misperception that the oil and gas industry was nothing but mean, money hungry individuals out to exploit the environment, but everyone I came in contact with was polite, friendly and eager to educate," Mueller said of one student's reaction.Another student, Synovia Duncan, in an email response to questions, responded:"I was surprised by everything, and actually a little fascinated as well. I left the site feeling better about the people who frac, but not better about the practice. I still think it is an awful process, with lots of potential for harm to humans and the natural world. But these guys seemed committed to going the extra mile to ensure that their process didn't harm anyone or anything. It was very educational and interesting."Mueller said the tour was informative, and changed her's, and a lot of students' preconceived notions about fracking but, like Duncan, more about the people doing it."What I was most impressed with, is the industry themselves are trying to find better ways of doing things," Mueller said. "My perspective of what Mineral Resource and Halliburton on that tour presented, they too want to preserve the air and water, and they're trying to create systems and safe checks and put in place procedures and policies that would prevent environmental damage. That was surprising to me. I may have thought it was all about money, and that's how a lot of my students felt."She added, "In terms of Mineral Resources, those guys live here, this is their neighborhood. I developed a better respect that they also care about the same things we do. I got at least a better respect that I may not have had before the tour.""I think I am a skeptical environmental enthusiast, which also gets to the reality of world we live in, and we need energy. I think that to really be for or against something, you want to get the whole picture. You want to know what it looks like.-- Pepper Mueller, UNC professorCopyright: ___ (c)2014 the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) Visit the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) at .greeleytribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉