This past Tuesday, the Carson City Council voted against a local moratorium on new oil and gas activity within its city limits.  Last month, Carson passed a 45-day ban on all oil and gas operations, as reported in our March 20, 2014 post.  The City Council could have continued the ban for up to two years, but chose instead to vote against any continued moratorium. The moratorium will expire this Friday, and, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times, cannot be brought up for vote again as an emergency measure.  The failure of this moratorium in Carson may be the result of its overbreadth - while other cities, such as Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, are seeking to place a moratorium only on well stimulation, Carson sought to stop all new oil and gas drilling altogether.  The City Council’s action also demonstrated the powerful alliance of pro-business interests and unions to protect jobs in the oil and gas industry.