Beaufort Sea drilling plan on hold

CALGARY — Imperial Oil and its partners have decided to defer plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort Sea. In a letter to the National Energy Board, Imperial says it’s putting regulatory work on hold. The company says more study is needed into how to operate in the harsh Arctic waters, where the drilling season is short. But under Imperial’s current licence, there’s not enough time to do that work, so it’s asking for an extension.