ENERGY

California Offshore Oil Production Hits Record: Production doubled in four years to a record 200,000 barrels a day, nearly a quarter of the nation’s offshore yield, federal authorities disclosed. “This is a significant amount of oil, not only in terms of California but in terms of the nation,” said J. Lisle Reed, regional director for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which is part of the Interior Department. Five platforms built at the western end of the Santa Barbara Channel in 1990 are responsible for the increased production, Reed said. Using new drilling technology, the rigs can tap into areas far from the platform. The five rigs are Heritage and Harmony platforms operated by Exxon, Hermosa and Hidalgo by Chevron and Harvest by Texaco.