port (See Fig. 2) and allowed oil and gas to be competitive nationwide. With the pipelines completed oil production increased from 30 million barrels in 1950 to 190 million barrels in 1960, and gas production increased from 70 million cubic feet in 1960Fuel and transport methodTransport Costs (Cents per 1.6 km per 1 short ton of coal equivalent)Electricity via high tension wire316.5 - 395.5Bituminous coal by rail70 - 80Bituminous coal by water25 - 30Natural gas via 34 inch diameter pipe28- 40.8Petroleum via 30 inch diameter pipe9.0-13.5Fig.2 Comparative costs of energy transport in 1957. From McDougall, 1982to 500 million cubic feet in 1970. Increased production drove down the prices for these new fuels and their use increased rapidly (See Fig. 3)..Energy Source19501955196019651970Petroleum29.845.748.649.448.1Natural Gas2.53.99.013.116.5Coal and Coke47.627.714.724.524.6Hydroelectricity20.122.727.724.524.6Total BTU's (1012)24933188367148146328Fig. 3 Sources of Canadian Primary Energy Consumption (percentages) 1950-1970. From Doern, Toner 1985).Another factor instrumental in the decline of coal use is its harmful environmental effects and their associated costs in today's more environmentally conscious society. Sulfur is a major environmental liability problem for coal, and the sulfur content of coal can be as much as 3 per cent. When this sulfur is burned along with the coal it produces sulfur dioxide (SO2). This gas is toxic and can be severely irritating to the eyes and lungs. In the atmosphere sulfur dioxide combines with water vapour to produce sulfuric acid which is then removed through precipitation and it falls to earth as acid rain. There are presently methods available that are able to remove some of the sulfur from coal prior to burning but the process is expensive and only partially successful. Another alternative is burning low sulfur coal but more often than not this coal is lower quality coal and more of it must...
