  The violent star formation history of ``E+A'' galaxies and their detection
almost exclusively in distant clusters is frequently used to link them to the
``Butcher-Oemler effect'' and to argue that cluster environment influences
galaxy evolution. From 11113 spectra in the Las Campanas Redshift Survey, we
have obtained a unique sample of 21 nearby ``E+A" galaxies. Surprisingly, a
large fraction (about 75%) of these ``E+A''s lie in the field. Therefore,
interactions with the cluster environment, in the form of the ICM or cluster
potential, are not essential for ``E+A'' formation. If one mechanism is
responsible for ``E+A''s, their existence in the field and the tidal features
in at least 5 of the 21 argue that galaxy-galaxy interactions and mergers are
that mechanism. The most likely environments for such interactions are poor
groups, which have lower velocity dispersions than clusters and higher galaxy
densities than the field. In hierarchical models, groups fall into clusters in
greater numbers at intermediate redshifts than they do today. Thus, the
Butcher-Oemler effect may reflect the typical evolution of galaxies in groups
and in the field rather than the influence of clusters on star formation in
galaxies. This abstract is abridged.
