The Oil Sands Environmental Study Group {OSESG) was formed early in 1973 by sixteen major petroleum companies who were either oil sands operators or lease holders. The group was designed to operate as a co-operative venture with each of the members financing group environmental research projects in the Athabasca Oil Sands area. Initial areas of research interest were the existing ecology of the oil sands and environmental engineering, including climatology and hydrology. Studies were to be conducted by private consultants, universities, government agencies and/or staff of member companies.
OSESG has continued to be active since 1973 and its membership as of April, 1982 consisted of seventeen companies (Table 1). The current mission of OSESG is to "promote or foster a business climate supportive of member companies objectives as they relate to issues associated with the ecosystems of the oil sands region of Alberta."