I don't usually defend the oil companies as I so often have to write out violation cases against them, but it seems that they are being unfairly blamed for "causing" the situation. This is much different from what they are actually doing which is profiting from the situation. Shame on them of course but they didn't cause the situation. The oil companies don't need to evacuate anyone. If you live in Texas or Louisiana you know that overnight the empty lot, backyard, or frontyard of a piece of property can sprout an oil or natural gas rig. It doesn't even necessarily impact the ecology with the exception of noise and the occasional accident. Why would they choose to have the locals evacuated? It took a guy with a high powered rifle nearly thirty shots (in the same one inch area) to put a small hole in the trans-alaska pipeline.