State-Level Legal Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies in the U.S.: A Network Analysis of State Laws and Regulations

Objective. This study explored if and to what extent the laws of U.S. states mirrored the U.S. federal laws for responding to nuclear-radiological emergencies (NREs). Methods. Emergency laws from a 12-state sample and the federal government were retrieved and translated into numeric codes representi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health reports (1974) 2014-11, Vol.129 (6_suppl4), p.154-165
Main Authors: Guclu, Hasan, Bjerke, Elizabeth Ferrell, Galvan, Jared, Sweeney, Patricia, Potter, Margaret A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrative agencies
Analysis
Civil Defense - organization & administration
Density
Disaster Planning - organization & administration
Effectiveness
Emergencies
Emergency management
Emergency preparedness
Emergency response
Federal government
Federal law
Government
Government regulation
Humans
Law
Mathematical models
MODELING AND SIMULATION OF SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE
Network analysis
Nuclear accidents & safety
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear Warfare
Planners
Planning
Policy making
Public health
Public Health - legislation & jurisprudence
Radiation Monitoring
Radiation Protection
Radioactive Hazard Release
Regulation
Regulations
State Government
State laws
States
United States
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Summary:Objective. This study explored if and to what extent the laws of U.S. states mirrored the U.S. federal laws for responding to nuclear-radiological emergencies (NREs). Methods. Emergency laws from a 12-state sample and the federal government were retrieved and translated into numeric codes representing acting agents, their partner agents, and the purposes of activity in terms of preparedness, response, and recovery. We used network analysis to explore the relationships among agents in terms of legally directed NRE activities. Results. States' legal networks for NREs appear as not highly inclusive, involving an average of 28% of agents among those specified in the federal laws. Certain agents are highly central in NRE networks, so that their capacity and effectiveness might strongly influence an NRE response. Conclusions. State-level lawmakers and planners might consider whether or not greater inclusion of agents, modeled on the federal government laws, would enhance their NRE laws and if more agents should be engaged in planning and policy-making for NRE incidents. Further research should explore if and to what extent legislated NRE directives impose constraints on practical response activities including emergency planning.
ISSN:0033-3549
1468-2877
DOI:10.1177/00333549141296S420