Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB)

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The Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB or Board) is an independent federal advisory committee. Its mission is to advise the President and Congress of the United States on good neighbor practices along the U.S. border with Mexico. Its recommendations are focused on environmental infrastructure needs within the U.S. states contiguous to Mexico.

The Board does not carry out any specific border program. Rather its role is to step back as a strategic adviser and analyze the big picture when it comes to the problems the border region faces, as well as the opportunities at hand.

Overview

GNEB was created by the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative Act of 1992 (EAIA) (7 U.S. Code Section 5404) to advise the President and the Congress about environmental and infrastructure issues and needs within the states contiguous to Mexico. Implementing authority was delegated to the Administrator of EPA under Executive Order 12916.        

The Act requires that the board membership include representatives from appropriate U.S Government agencies; the governments of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas; and private organizations, including community development, academic, health, environmental, and other non-governmental entities with experience and expertise on environmental and infrastructure problems along the southwest border. The Board also confers reguarly with
Mexican organizations including The Region 1 National Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (Consejo).

The statute requires the GNEB to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. Its first report was published in 1995. Since that time, it has continued to provide an objective, consensus-based voice on strategic approaches for addressing U.S.-Mexico border issues. GNEB's reports have been translated into Spanish and widely disseminated on both sides of the border. Recurring themes in its guidance include the following: focus on ares of greatest need; better integrate existing projects; support new initiatives that provide added value; involve many different organizations early on and throughout the process; and institure an underlying, environmentally sustainable framework as the basis for making decicions.