Advancing U.S.–Mexico Water Management: The Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB) and Water Along the U.S.–Mexico Boundary

This study reviews the influence of the U.S. Good Neighbor Environmental Board on water management along the U.S.–Mexico border. The GNEB has a unique mandate to inform the president and congress of needed infrastructure, investments, and policy actions supporting sustainable development of communities and natural resources in the border region. The study uses the GNEB’s own policy recommendations in its annual reports to consider its influence on border water management over more than 25 years. It concludes that while the GNEB’s recommendations have not had a direct impact on border water management policy, it has played an important role in describing border water management conditions; endorsing and legitimizing federal border environmental programs; spotlighting and advocating for best practices in border water management, including promoting policy integration among federal, state, and local water management programs; and advancing binational cooperation in developing and implementing border environment and water-related programs.