Quote Originally Posted by Douglas View Post
I don't know about coal, but oil is used for a lot of things other than burning it for power production.
Energy production accounts for the vast majority of oil used. It would remain viable for other uses (although many of those already have alternate sources) such as plastics, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer, but without being a staple energy source, the value would drop drastically, bulk transport of oil would become unprofitable (it would be easier to refine the smaller amounts used into the chemicals you want very near to the production site, then just move the semi-refined chemicals), and the industry would suffer a massive setback.