As part of its mandate to provide access to reclamation information, and in support of OSRIN’s belief that we need to know where we have been before we can plan where to go, OSRIN is digitizing reports from two key historical government research programs: the Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Research Program (AOSERP) and the Reclamation Research Technical Advisory Committee (RRTAC), as well as early EIAs, and policy and research documents from the Government of Alberta.
AOSERP Reports
The Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Research Program (AOSERP) ran from 1975 to 1985 and carried out surveys and research aimed at identifying the potential long-term impacts of oil sands development. The program focused on land, water, air and human systems and produced numerous reports. The program was managed by Alberta Environment.
OSRIN has digitized 218 of the AOSERP reports, which are stored on the University of Alberta’s Education & Research Archive site. Click here for a list of the AOSERP reports we have digitized.
RRTAC Reports
The Reclamation Research Technical Advisory Committee (RRTAC) was established in 1978 to manage the Alberta Government’s reclamation research program, funded through the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund’s Land Reclamation Program. The research program focused initially on plains coal mining, then expanded to include mountain and foothills coal mining, oil sands mining and oil and gas. The program ran from 1978 to 1994 and produced numerous research reports.
OSRIN has digitized 41 of the RRTAC reports (two reports have multiple volumes) plus two conference presentations on RRTAC oil sands projects, including:
- all of the reports prepared under RRTAC’s Oil Sands Reclamation Research Program;
- a number of reports of general interest (e.g., salinity, topsoil storage, plant suitability); and
- reports from the other research program areas that address oil sands issues (Plains Coal – salinity, groundwater, soil characterization; Mountains and Foothills – wildlife habitat, tree growth, erosion).
The reports are stored on the University of Alberta’s Education & Research Archive site. Click here for a list of the RRTAC reports we have digitized.
Environmental impact Assessment (EIAs) Reports
OSRIN has digitized 25 early (1970s to 1990s) environmental impact assessment reports to complement the later ones made available by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.
Other Government Reports
OSRIN is also digitizing other historical reports from government agencies. OSRIN has digitized 112 reports to date; click here for a list of the reports we have digitized.
Syncrude Canada Ltd. Reports
Syncrude Canada Ltd. provided permission to digitize their historical (mostly mid 1970s to mid 1980s)Environmental Research Monograph series and Professional Paper series. 61 reports are available – click here for the list.
Thank You
OSRIN would like to thank the following government departments for providing permission to digitize the reports and make them available: Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, and Alberta Health.
OSRIN would like to thank the following organizations for providing digital copies of various reports, saving us both time and money:
- Environment Canada for providing digital copies of several water-related AOSERP reports.
- Alberta Environment, Pedocan Land Evaluation and Millennium EMS Solutions for hard copies and digital copies of RRTAC reports, and Golder Associates for a copy of the Alsands EIA
- Government of Alberta Libraries staff for providing digital copies of some government reports
- Syncrude Canada Ltd. for providing digital copies of some reports
- University of Alberta Libraries staff for providing digital copies of some reports.
We also thank the University of Alberta Libraries for gathering the majority of the reports from the Library system and getting them ready for digitization and Jensen Blueprint Repro. Ltd. for scanning the reports.