The out of control leak has forced thousands of residents to flee their homes. Gov. Brown's sister is a paid board member at the company that owns the well.

Tap to play or pause GIF Tap to play or pause GIF Earthworks / Via youtube.com Video shot earlier this month using an infrared camera shows the resulting plume of gas.

LOS ANGELES — A massive gas leak that has spewed billions of pounds of methane into the air in a northern Los Angeles neighborhood, prompting a state of emergency from local officials, has a surprising connection to Governor Jerry Brown. The natural gas leak, which has forced thousands of residents to flee their homes in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, is spewing 100,000 pounds of methane into the air per hour. That's a quarter of all of California's methane emissions, which are greenhouse gases. The leak was discovered in October, prompting hundreds of complaints, resident relocations, school closures, lawsuits, flight restrictions, and a condemnation from star lawyer Erin Brockovich — and shows no sign of stopping. The methane is coming from a ruptured pipe at a storage facility owned by Southern California Gas Co., which in turn is owned by San Diego-based Sempra Energy.

Michel Euler / AP Gov. Jerry Brown speaks during the Paris climate conference on Dec. 6, 2015.

Gov. Brown has a number of connections to Sempra. His sister, Kathleen Brown, sits on Sempra's board of directors. She joined the company in 2013, reportedly receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and equity. She also holds $400,000 in stock and last year received a $188,380 salary, the Associated Press reported. Non-profit watchdog group Public Accountability Initiative first called attention to Kathleen Brown's role at Sempra, and the governor's connections to the company, this week. Kathleen Brown did not respond to a BuzzFeed News request for comment Friday. But Gov. Brown's connection to Sempra goes even deeper. Campaign finance records show that Brown has received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Sempra and Sempra employees going back to at least 2006. Brown also appointed two high-ranking Sempra representatives to a 2014 trade mission to Mexico. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Sempra said it has "outside, independent board members and we see no conflict." For many governors, maintaining a relationship with a prominent energy company might not raise eyebrows. Brown, however, is different. The Golden State governor spent the year touting his green credentials and has specifically singled out methane — the gas leaking near Porter Ranch — as a greenhouse emission he wants to cut. Earlier this month he also was a star attendee at the Paris climate conference — a global gathering that explicitly aimed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Brown traveled to the climate conference as the head of a delegation of state leaders who were sharing information on programs such as cap and trade. The trip was paid for by a non-profit group called Climate Action Reserve.

Michel Euler / AP Al Gore, left, French French Environment Minister Segolene Royal, center, and Brown at the Paris climate talks on Dec. 8.