Environmental Studies Research Fund Prescribed Regions

This dataset provides the 31 Environmental Studies Research Fund Prescribed Regions and associated historical levies.

Context:

The Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF) is a research program, which sponsors environmental and social studies. It is designed to assist in the decision-making process related to oil and gas exploration and development on Canada's frontier lands. The funding for the ESRF is provided through levies on frontier lands paid by interest holders such as the oil and gas companies. The ESRF is directed by a joint government/industry/public Management Board and is administered by a secretariat which resides in the Office of Energy Research and Development, Natural Resources Canada.

The ESRF receives its legislative mandate through the Canada Petroleum Resources Act. The ESRF regions are described in the Environmental Studies Research Fund Regions Regulations. As well, the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act provide legislative direction in the Southern Regions.

Funding for ESRF is collected annually through levies paid by lease-holding oil and gas companies active in a specific ESRF region. In accordance with the legislation, levies are recommended by the Management Board to the Ministers of NRCan and CIRNA for approval. The levies are calculated by multiplying the levy rate of a region by the number of hectares of land under lease.

The ESRF has sponsored studies on oil and gas exploration and development on frontier lands, including such topics as environmental effects on fish, bird and animal habits and habitats, iceberg detection and flow patterns, oil spill prevention and countermeasures, dispersant effectiveness in cold waters and ice, frontier social and economic issues, improving accuracy of ocean and weather forecasting, and verification of codes and standards.