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Dec. 19: As California Oil Firms Look To New Technology, Who Will Clean Up Their Wells?

Oil production in California is in decline. But oil producers don’t show signs of going away any time soon. Some are looking to build on a new technology known as carbon capture. But as they move on, they leave behind what are known as idle wells – or wells no longer in production. And those wells could still leak dangerous chemicals. We speak with reporter Emma Foehringer Merchant about a recent investigation into how one company is dealing with this problem.

Plus, the latest news headlines, including an emergency being declared in California over bird flu, and what former Bitwise Industries workers say about their former bosses.

Justin Sacher is a fill-in on-air host for KVPR
A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.