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The Oklahoma Corporation Commission said, “No More” to Oklahoma Natural Gas’ continuing 75-cent/Dth surcharge on customer bills related to its recovery of last winter’s high gas costs. In a final order Tuesday, the commission told the utility that starting Dec. 1 it will no longer be allowed to recover those costs. The final order follows a similar preliminary ruling on the matter earlier this month.

Following a two-day, 25-cent price slide, natural gas futures rebounded modestly Friday as traders covered shorts ahead of the weekend and in anticipation of cooler temperatures this week. Also supportive on Friday was an up-tick in crude oil prices, which advanced 58 cents to finish at $18.03. The December natural gas contract experienced a similar bounce, gaining 8.6 cents to close at $2.637.

Repealing a portion of the gains achieved in last week’s four-day price rally, natural gas futures shuffled lower Friday, as traders pressured prices lower in sympathy with softer weekend cash market values. The November contract closed at $2.43, down 10.1 cents for the session, but 20.3 cents above its closing point from the week prior. Estimated volume was again healthy for a Friday, as 65,418 contracts changed hands.

The November contract managed a $2.30 high and a 6-cent increase for the day Tuesday to $2.268 on a short-term cold weather forecast and a little fund buying. The modest market strength, however, is expected to be short-lived, according to several sources who point to few near-term fundamentals to inspire a significant rebound.

After carving out a wide, 57-cent trading range over the previous two sessions, natural gas futures stayed close to home Friday as many traders choose to wait on the sidelines until a clearer fundamental picture develops. The September contract finished at $3.303, down 6.4 cents for the day, but up 26.3 cents for the week.

Buoyed by a combination of a bullish tropical storm and storage concerns, natural gas futures rumbled higher Tuesday as weak shorts propelled the market to its highest level in almost two weeks. The September contract finished 9.5 cents stronger at $3.049. The out months were equally impressive, led by the October and November contracts which each gained 9.9 cents to close at $3.142 and $3.404 respectively.

Fueled by Wednesday’s 30.6-cent gain, natural gas futures surged higher at the open yesterday as traders salivated over the probability of another sub-100 Bcf storage figure next Wednesday. However, the combination of mild weather forecasts for the weekend and nervous new length proved to be too much, leaving bulls almost defenseless as prices cascaded lower in the afternoon. The August contract closed at $3.128, down 14.8 cents on its penultimate trading day.

With an 8.2 cent rebound on Friday to $3.218, August natural gas futures appeared to be taking their sweet time dropping below the $3 level, contrary to what many observers had expected. Although it will be extremely difficult for futures to shake the bearish trend with gas storage levels mounting at a record pace and cool weather across the Northeast, the trading activity on Friday looked suspiciously like a potential floor developing above the $3 mark, according to market analysts.

Carving out a wide 15-cent trading range on the daily charts, prompt month natural gas futures continued its volatile temperament yesterday as traders tested both the upside and the downside. As it turns out, neither thrust attracted much in the way of additional buying or selling, leaving the market to chop sideways to slightly higher Tuesday. July finished at $3.981, up 4.2 cents on the day, but nearly 7 cents below its high trade.