(1) The Great Lakes consist of Lake Michigan, 
Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake 
Superior, and border the States of Michigan, Wis-
consin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsyl-
vania, and New York. 
(2) The Great Lakes watershed provides habi-
tats for numerous fascinating species of wildlife. 
(3) The Great Lakes have exceptional sur-
rounding parks, forests, shorelines, and islands, 
which are a source of recreation through swimming, 
hiking, picnics, boating, fishing, hunting, and wild-
life watching. 
(4) The Great Lakes region is currently home 
to 27 million people. 
(5) The Great Lakes are the largest surface 
freshwater system on Earth, with over 20 percent of 
the world’s fresh water supply. 
(6) The Great Lakes are the source of drinking 
water for over 40 million people and 56 billion gal-
lons of water a day for municipal, industrial, and ag-
ricultural use. 
(7) The Great Lakes are vital for the region’s 
economy, attracting tourism and providing transpor-
tation for goods. 
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(8) The Great Lakes region’s environment and 
economy depend on the health and well-being of the 
Great Lakes. 
(9) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has 
played a critical role in restoring the Great Lakes. 
(10) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is 
vital in combating the introduction of invasive spe-
cies into the Great Lakes. 
(11) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is 
pivotal in mitigating harmful algal blooms. 
(12) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative 
has restored over 250,000 acres of habitat. 
SEC. 2. GREAT LAKES RESTORATION STAMP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to afford a convenient 
way for members of the public to contribute to funding 
for the operations supported by the Great Lakes Restora-
tion Initiative, as described under the fourth undesignated 
paragraph under the heading ‘‘Administrative Provisions, 
Environmental Protection Agency’’ in Public Law 111–88 
(123 Stat. 2938; commonly known as the ‘‘Interior De-
partment and Further Continuing Appropriations Act for 
Fiscal Year 2010’’), the United States Postal Service shall 
issue a semipostal stamp (referred to in this Act as the 
‘‘Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp’’) in accord-
ance with the provisions of this section. 
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(b) COST.—The Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal 
Stamp shall be offered at a cost equal to the cost of mail-
ing a letter weighing 1 ounce or less at the nonautomation 
single-piece first-ounce letter rate, in effect at the time 
of purchase, plus a differential of not less than 25 percent. 
(c) OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The issuance 
and sale of the Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal 
Stamp shall be governed by the provisions of section 416 
of title 39, United States Code, and regulations issued 
under such section, subject to subsection (b) and the fol-
lowing: 
(1) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—All amounts becoming 
available from the sale of the Great Lakes Res-
toration Semipostal Stamp shall be transferred 
to the Environmental Protection Agency for the 
purpose of funding the operations of the Initia-
tive described in subsection (a), through pay-
ments which shall be made at least twice a 
year. 
(B) PROCEEDS NOT TO BE OFFSET.—In 
accordance with section 416(d)(4) of such title 
39, amounts becoming available from the sale 
of the Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal 
Stamp (as so determined) shall not be taken 
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into account in any decision relating to the level 
of appropriations or other Federal funding to 
be furnished in any year to the Initiative identi-
fied in subsection (a). 
(2) DURATION.—The Great Lakes Restoration 
Semipostal Stamp shall be made available to the 
public for a period of at least 5 years, beginning no 
later than 12 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(3) STAMP DEPICTIONS.—Stamps issued under 
this Act shall depict images of each of the five Great 
Lakes. 
(4) LIMITATION.—The Great Lakes Restoration 
Semipostal Stamp shall not be subject to, or taken 
into account for purposes of applying, any limitation 
under section 416(e)(1)(C) of such title 39. 
(d) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this Act, the term 
‘‘semipostal stamp’’ refers to a stamp described in section 
416(a)(1) of title 39, United States Code. 
Æ 
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