Expediting Emergency Response with Regulatory Waivers

This white paper examines the potential of predefined regulatory waivers to expedite emergency response and recovery operations in the context of U.S. critical infrastructure. It discusses the findings from a tabletop exercise conducted by The MITRE Corporation, which involved over 200 participants from various organizations. The exercise simulated a multiregion, multisector cyber attack and led to five key recommendations for improving emergency preparedness. The paper outlines how certain regulations can hinder effective response efforts during emergencies and highlights the need for regulatory waivers that can be automatically triggered by emergency declarations. Specific actions are proposed, including the development of a Waivers Action Plan, expansion of statutory reviews, and the creation of a decision-support tool for waiver responses. By implementing these measures, the paper argues that the U.S. can enhance its emergency response capabilities and better protect critical infrastructure from future threats.