Colorado may soon be joining North Dakota, in terms of becoming a hotspot for the natural energy drilling boom.

University of Colorado-Boulder student Aslinn Scott has on report about the campus debate ove fracking, the technology being this fuel bonanza.  Campus environmentalists are being challenged by pro-business groups for support.

Case in point – the University of Colorado at Boulder – where several green and fossil free environmental groups during the spring semester offering workshops and speakers to encourage students to join the anti-fracking and environmental justice movement.

One such workshop was dubbed “Stop the Frack Attack” and sponsored by StopTheFrackAttack.org. The discussion group “Fracking-A Messy Business” was hosted by the Assembly for Sustainability and Equity group.

Meanwhile, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper – who famously drank fracking fluid to prove it was harmless – gave a presentation on “Frac’ing Sense” at the university.

Hickenlooper is among those who aim to counter the sustainable proclamations and green peace efforts in Boulder and present some frac’ing truth.

He is not alone. Professors, in fact, have joined his cause, most notably from the Colorado School of Mines, where educators there work to inform the masses on frac’ing, and counter the argument it’s harmful to the environment.

Dr. Will Fleckenstein, BP adjuct professor at Colorado School of Mines, specializes in unconventional reservoirs, and actually worked as a roughneck on drilling rigs. He is quick to point out that, by using best practices, frac’ing is actually safe and effective.

Backing him up are groups such as the Colorado Women’s Alliance, which on Wednesday screened “FrackNation,” a pro-drilling film, at a downtown Boulder hotel.

Not to be outdone, the anti-frac’ing film “Gasland 2” was shown Wednesday night at CU Boulder by nearly two dozen environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and New Era Colorado.

As the debate in Colorado rages on, Debbie Brown, Director of Colorado Women’s Alliance, told The College Fix it was important for this event to bring insights to women about these issues.

“Women in particular often fall prey to an extreme environmental agenda, and it’s important to offer a fact-based educational documentary that offers a different view on these important energy issues, like the film, FrackNation,” Brown said.
Brown’s sentiment about informing communities about frac’ing is shared by students who will be working in the oil and natural gas industries.

Carlton Healy, 22 and recent graduate from Colorado School of Mines with a civil engineering specialty, has experience in the design of hydraulic fracture stimulations and will be working at a petroleum company full time.

Healy said frac’ing is vital for society.