T. Boone Pickens has released the following letter sent to NBC Universal CEO and President Jeff Zucker, describing his disappointment in the network’s decision not to run the latest Pickens Plan ad, entitled “Iran,” one in a series of non-partisan ads Mr. Pickens has developed to raise awareness among Americans of the need to lessen their $700 billion annual dependence on foreign oil. The 15 second advertisement, which has been approved by every other major broadcast and cable news network, focuses on an issue of great public importance and interest and advocates for increased use of natural gas.
“The ad plays an important role in the public debate by educating the general public about solutions to the problem,” the letter states. “We are puzzled by your decision not to run this ad because by not running it, you are selectively applying the First Amendment and denying your viewers access to information that is important to their education and understanding of the issue of energy independence.”
The script of the offending portion of the ad reads, “Get this one, Iran is changing its cars to run on natural gas, and we’re not doing a thing here, They’re doing this to use less oil, and sell it for a hundred and twenty dollars a barrel. We can switch our cars to natural gas and stop sending our dollars to foreign countries.”
The letter concluded, “To deny this advertisement is to deny Americans from their fundamental right to information and the ability to make their own decisions. We hope you will reconsider your decision and that you will decide to allow this advertisement to appear on NBC as soon as possible.”