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In this 2018 file photo, Eric Kincaid, right, hands a wrench to Chad Neel during work on converting a well to a rod pumping well on TRC Operating Co. Inc.'s Cypress Lease near Taft.

Groups pushing to phase out in-state oil production are increasingly promoting oilfield remediation and well-plugging work they contend, despite industry skepticism, can create jobs that will be part of a "just transition" toward a carbon-neutral California economy by 2045.

The idea has become more popular as environmentalists raise concern about potential pollution from improperly abandoned wells. The proposal resurfaced this month in the form of a rehiring incentive in new legislation that would substantially constrain California oil production.