Need to Know, April 15, 2011: The BP oil spill and the Grand Isle one year later, fixing American education
Summary: Nearly one year ago this week, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history. How are residents of Grand Isle, La., faring one year after the incident? We revisit some of the families and business owners (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/economy/end-of-the-road-for-grand-isle/1607/) we met last year during the oil spill (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/gulf-update-the-toll-on-grand-isle-2/2576/) to find out. We also sit down with ecologist Carl Safina and ProPublica's Abrahm Lustgarten to discuss BP's regulatory failures and the accident's impact on the environment, and speak with energy expert Lisa Margonelli about the U.S.'s post-oil spill energy policy. Also: As a follow-up to our popular "Fixing America (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/first-look-how-to-fix-america/5846/)" series, we feature another series of "big thinkers" -- educators, administrators and policy-makers -- who share their thoughts on how to fix American education. Jon Meacham also sits down with Jim Simons, founder of Math for America and one of the richest men in the country, to talk about his dedication to improving American mathematics education. And: Jon Meacham delivers an "In Perspective (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/tag/jon-meacham-in-perspective/)" essay on the Constitution framers' decision that only native-born Americans may become President. Watch the individual segments: (#)(http://www-tc.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/04/GrandIsle-th.jpg) One year later, Grand Isle still struggles (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-one-year-after-bps-oil-disaster-grand-isle-residents-still-struggle/8694/) On the one-year anniversary of the Gulf oil spill, Need to Know returns to the community of Grand Isle, La., to visit with families and business owners affected by the spill. At the time, their businesses were practically shuttered, and they were just beginning to file claims against BP. How are they faring now? (#)(http://www-tc.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/04/GulfOilHealthUpdate-th.jpg) Health risks of spill remain uncertain (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/post-spill-health-risks-an-updated-look/8678/) Residents and cleanup workers are still looking for answers about how the Gulf oil spill may have affected their health. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has launched the largest study ever into long- and short-term health effects from an oil spill. But for many those answers won’t come soon enough. (#)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/04/SafinaLustgarten-th1.jpg) What have we learned from the BP spill? (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/carl-safina-and-abrahm-lustgarten-on-the-bp-disaster-and-lessons-learned/8684/) Ecologist Carl Safina and investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten join Alison Stewart to discuss the regulatory failures that led to the BP oil spill and its impact on the environment. (#)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/04/LisaMargonelli-th.jpg) Lisa Margonelli on energy policy after the spill (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/lisa-margonelli-on-energy-policy-we-can-really-change-our-behaviors/8680/) Author and energy policy expert Lisa Margonelli joins Alison Stewart to talk about America's energy policy going forward in the post-BP spill era. Are we stuck on silver bullet solutions when small, incremental adjustments may be the game changer? (#)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/04/FixingEducaton-th.jpg) Big thinkers on fixing American education (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/culture/video-how-to-fix-american-education/8683/) In the latest installment of Need to Know’s “Fixing America
