Word: coleman
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Secretary frankly admitted that the 100-passenger Concorde "will be noisier than existing subsonic aircraft, save arguably for the B-707 and DC-8 on landing, which [form] 27% of the U.S. commercial fleet." As for fears that the Concorde would pollute the air or change the climate, Coleman found no evidence of any significant danger...
Some critics of the Concorde have charged it would reduce the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere that protects the earth from ultraviolet rays, thereby increasing the incidence of nonfatal skin cancer. Coleman judged that the stratospheric impact of the 16 months of test flights would be "minuscule," and the slight risk of causing additional cases of the disease-which he called "speculation"-was not enough to reject landing rights for the Concorde...
Noting that "any new technology brings with it a certain degree of risk," Coleman concluded that the Concorde's prospective benefits were worth the chance. An outright ban, he said, would be a blow to Britain and France, two allies that had sunk $2.8 billion into the Concorde. Further, Coleman claimed that turning down the Concorde "may well be condemning for all time or delaying for decades what might be a very significant technological advance for mankind." Second-generation Concordes, he said, could be quieter and less harmful to the environment...
Very Rich. Later Coleman dealt with the argument that the Concorde would only be a plaything or a convenience for the very rich, since the proposed fare for a New York-London round trip was $1,360, v. $1,156 on a regular jet for a first-class ticket-and $584 for tourist class in winter. In the past, the Secretary pointed out, wealthy passengers have been the first to pay the extra fares to ride on new aircraft, but the mass market, attracted by better service and time saving, soon followed...
...Coleman's tempered and sensible decision immediately ran into flak. The Environmental Defense Fund filed a suit in federal court to overturn the ruling...