A blue flame of optimism?

Cold winters might not be a lot of fun to endure, but wintry mix could mean more cash for Oklahoma.

Natural gas prices jumped Thursday due to short supply. For folks in Oklahoma, that’s music to our windswept ears.  The Energy Information Administration said the country’s supply dropped by 207 billion cubic feet last week.

Maybe that little glimmer of good news will temper the bad news state agencies received earlier this week that their monthly allocation will be cut by 10 percent after the revelation that Oklahoma is the state with the largest percent budget gap.

State Treasurer Scott Meacham has said that state budget will improve with natural gas prices go up, companies start production again and jobs return. Maybe this is the beginning of the rebound to the sharp decline in Oklahoma revenues?

Meacham is expected to meet with reporters today to discuss information on tax collection estimates he plans to present to the Board of Equalization next week. The Board of Equalization will certify estimates that will be used by lawmakers to adjust the budget.

Will the crystal ball will include an uptick in the price of natural gas?