Friday, April 22, 2011 (Moline, IL) -- Nearly surrounded by the floodwaters of the mighty Mississippi, employees of one Quad-City company are demonstrating their endurance through this Spring's floods. Doug's Heating and Air Conditioning, located at 4530 River Drive, Moline, has never had to close because of flooding in its entire 65 years of business. Doug's is now surrounded by sandbags filled and placed in mid-March by employees and the company's insurance agents. Doug's has survived three floods since 2005 alone.

Employees have worked tirelessly to elevate the merchandise they have in stock to higher ground to protect it from water that has seeped into the basement. So far, Doug's remains mostly dry inside and open for business. Dedicated employees have had to park blocks away and hike across railroad tracks and plywood bridges to get to work. But customers should see virtually no impact from the floods. "We like to think of this as an opportunity to demonstrate our dedication to serving to our customers," said Matt Hines, owner of Doug's. "We sandbag so we can keep our business open. It's required a lot of extra work, but it is the cost to have our great location."

On Friday, April 22, 2011, Doug's had two installations scheduled. The units were shipped to the customers' homes, instead of the warehouse, which has almost become an island in the midst of floodwaters along a closed River Drive.

For more information on this story, or to schedule an interview, contact Leigh Geramanis @ 309-786-5142 or e-mail leigh@medialinkinc.com.

Senator Chuck Grassley released the following comment after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally exempted milk and milk product containers from the Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Rule that is intended to prevent oil from discharging into U.S. waterways.  Grassley was a cosponsor of legislation to expedite a decision by the EPA to exempt milk containers from regulations initially intended for oil spills.

Grassley is also leading an effort to keep the EPA from placing further economic pressure on rural America if the agency chooses to impose more stringent regulations on dust. Here is Grassley's comment on the milk exemption.

"Dairy producers across the country are breathing a sigh of relief.  In an already difficult economic environment, this attempt by the EPA to apply burdensome and unnecessary regulations would have put many of these hard working dairy farmers in an extremely precarious position, and could easily have increased prices for consumers at the grocery store.  To think that milk would be treated the same as oil defies common sense.  The agency seems oblivious to the tremendous impact its rules and regulations have on the general public and agriculture in particular.  I appreciate EPA finally getting the job done and doing the right thing in this instance.  I hope this is a sign that common sense won't take a back seat to ideology in the future."

Dear Friends,

Earlier this week, I received the biggest honor I've ever received. On Monday, March 21, I was recognized at the Points of Light Institute's "All Together Now" celebration in Washington, DC?an event honoring President George H. W. Bush for his visionary leadership in the American service movement, as well as other outstanding leaders who share his mission

I was highlighted in a five minute video for my service work. President Jimmy Carter narrated the video and introduced me after the video played. I was able to say a few brief words which earned me a standing ovation from the entire audience which included four former presidents -- William J. Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and their families. Also in attendance was a star-studded lineup that included Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Kid Rock, Darius Rucker, and Carrie Underwood.

I believe this is the first time all four former presidents were together for an event since the inauguration of President Obama. This evening was a very positive and unique way to celebrate voluntary service.

I would have never had this opportunity and honor without your support.  I thank you very much for your continued support which is why LL&W is able to continue its mission to help clean America's rivers.

"All Together Now: A Celebration of Service" will air on Monday, March 28, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. (CST) on NBC. I'm not sure if I will make the cut, but it is a program worth watching.

Best Regards,

Chad Pregracke

March 25, 2011

CHICAGO - March 25, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today called on homes and businesses throughout Illinois to participate in Earth Hour 2011, an international effort to encourage responsible energy practices by turning off non-essential lights for one hour during the last weekend of March.

"Protecting our environment today and for future generations is one of my top priorities," said Governor Quinn. "By turning out our lights for an hour on March 26, the people of Illinois will show their continued commitment to commonsense, sustainable energy practices."

The state of Illinois will participate in Earth Day by turning out the lights in the Executive Mansion in Springfield and the James R. Thompson Center and Michael A. Bilandic Building in Chicago from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 26th.

These actions coincide with other famous landmarks around the world also going dark, including Chicago's Willis Tower, Field Museum, Navy Pier and Wrigley Building.

Earth Day was first organized by the World Wildlife Fund in 2007 to support efforts to reduce light pollution, energy waste and climate change and has since gained hundreds of millions of participants around the world. For more information about Earth Hour 2011 and Illinois' other environmental initiatives, visit www.worldwildlife.org and www.green.Illinois.gov.

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