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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Tinnitus Research for Military 
Health Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Tinnitus, or the perception of sound where no external 
        source of such sound exists, is the most prevalent disabling 
        condition that affects members of the Armed Forces, most 
        notably those members who have been exposed to blast injuries 
        during combat, or other high noise level situations.
            (2) Tinnitus is the leading service-connected disability 
        for returning members of the Armed Forces and the prevalence of 
        tinnitus is continuing to increase at alarming rates.
            (3) An otologic, or ear, injury such as tinnitus has been 
        shown to decrease performance and situational awareness during 
        combat, seriously compromising the ability of a member of the 
        Armed Forces to hear and execute commands properly, thereby 
        jeopardizing not only the affected member but other members as 
        well.
            (4) While certain types of sensory impairment in combat or 
        other military activities may be readily apparent, otologic 
        injuries such as tinnitus may not be easily noticeable, which 
        necessitates the need for more rigorous screening for tinnitus 
        before and after deployment, and for additional research to 
        distinguish tinnitus from other forms of brain injury incurred 
        during combat.
            (5) Medical evidence to date suggests a demonstrated link 
        between tinnitus and post-traumatic stress disorder and 
        traumatic brain injury, such that improved understanding of 
        treatment of tinnitus may also directly advance research 
        efforts to address post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic 
        brain injury.
            (6) Improving the treatment and prevention of tinnitus will 
        benefit all members of the Armed Forces who are increasingly at 
        risk of injury from high-decibel equipment or explosive 
        devices.

SEC. 3. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE STUDY OF TINNITUS.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish 
        one or more Centers of Excellence (in this section referred to 
        as a ``center'') for the study of tinnitus.
            (2) Location.--The Secretary shall establish a center at a 
        military installation in the United States where members of the 
        Armed Forces perform activities involving high rates of sound, 
        including artillery instruction and other basic combat training 
        related activities.
    (b) Responsibilities.--A center shall have the responsibilities as 
follows:
            (1) To study and enhance existing treatment modalities for 
        members of the Armed Forces with tinnitus, including diagnosed 
        cases of recurrent, chronic, or severe tinnitus.
            (2) To conduct basic and clinical research to prevent, 
        treat, and cure tinnitus, including studies on the neurological 
        changes in the brain associated with tinnitus.
            (3) To coordinate research activities with the Defense 
        Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic 
        Brain Injury in order to establish a tinnitus data registry for 
        members of the Armed Forces affected with tinnitus and other 
        neurological conditions that will enhance scientific progress 
        toward improvements in treatment for tinnitus and associated 
        neurological combat related conditions.
    (c) Reports.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the activities of the 
center.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2016.

SEC. 4. AURAL SCREENINGS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (2) of section 1074f(b) of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
            ``(D) An aural screening, including an assessment of 
        tinnitus.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Section 1074f(b)(2) of title 10, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, shall apply to 
members of the Armed Forces who are deployed or return from deployment 
on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE TINNITUS RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations 
provided for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
program to award grants to institutions to assist such institutions in 
conducting research on recurrent, chronic, or severe tinnitus and 
peripheral neurological conditions, including research related to 
neurology, pharmacology, audiology, otolaryngology, and other 
disciplines that the Secretary determines appropriate according to 
newly discovered evidence-based findings.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) Teaching program.--An institution eligible to receive a 
        grant under this section is--
                    (A) a hospital with a teaching program described in 
                section 1861(b)(6) of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 1395x); or
                    (B) an educational institution with demonstrated 
                expertise in tinnitus research.
            (2) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, an institution shall submit an application to the 
        Secretary of Defense at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may require. The 
        Secretary shall ensure that such applications are peer-reviewed 
        by multidisciplinary tinnitus experts from both the public and 
        private sector.
    (c) Grant Amount.--An institution awarded a grant under this 
section may not receive more than $2,500,000 per fiscal year under this 
section.
    (d) Reports.--Not later than December 31 of each year a grant may 
be awarded under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
Congress a report on the grant program, including a summary of the 
research related to tinnitus conducted by each grant recipient.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2016.

SEC. 6. IMPROVING AURAL PROTECTION FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall examine methods to 
improve the aural protection for members of the Armed Forces in combat.
    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
on the methods to improve aural protection examined under subsection 
(a).

SEC. 7. EXECUTIVE AGENT FOR TINNITUS.

    (a) Executive Agent.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall designate a 
senior official of the Department of Defense to act as the executive 
agent for tinnitus.
    (b) Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and in accordance with Directive 
        5101.1, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe the roles, 
        responsibilities, and authorities of the executive agent 
        designated under subsection (a).
            (2) Specification.--The roles and responsibilities of the 
        executive agent designated under subsection (a) shall include 
        coordinating common functions related to tinnitus among the 
        military departments.
    (c) Support.--In accordance with Directive 5101.1, the Secretary of 
Defense shall ensure that the military departments, Defense Agencies, 
and other components of the Department of Defense provide the executive 
agent designated under subsection (a) with the appropriate support and 
resources needed to perform the roles, responsibilities, and 
authorities of the executive agent.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Directive 5101.1'' means Department of 
        Defense Directive 5101.1, or any successor directive relating 
        to the responsibilities of an executive agent of the Department 
        of Defense.
            (2) The term ``executive agent'' has the meaning given the 
        term ``DoD Executive Agent'' in Directive 5101.1.
Tinnitus Research for Military Health Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish one or more centers of excellence for the study of tinnitus. Requires such centers to be established at military installations where members of the Armed Forces perform activities involving high rates of sound, including artillery instruction. Outlines center activities, including researching and enhancing treatments for members with tinnitus.

Requires the inclusion, within a current medical tracking system for members deployed overseas, of an aural screening which shall include an assessment of tinnitus.

Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program to assist eligible institutions in conducting research on recurrent, chronic, or severe tinnitus and peripheral neurological conditions. Makes eligible for such grants: (1) a hospital with an approved teaching program as defined under the Social Security Act; or (2) an educational institution with demonstrated expertise in tinnitus research.

Requires the Secretary to designate a senior DOD official to act as the executive agent for tinnitus.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This bill shall be called the ``National Petroleum Reserve Alaska 
Access Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS AND REAFFIRMING NATIONAL POLICY FOR THE 
              NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska remains 
        explicitly designated, both in name and legal status, for 
        purposes of providing oil and natural gas resources to the 
        United States; and
            (2) accordingly, the national policy is to actively advance 
        oil and gas development within the Reserve by facilitating the 
        expeditious exploration, production, and transportation of oil 
        and natural gas from and through the Reserve.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA: LEASE SALES.

    Section 107(a) of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 
1976 (42 U.S.C. 6506a(a)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct an expeditious 
program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the reserve in 
accordance with this Act. Such program shall include at least one lease 
sale annually in those areas of the reserve most likely to produce 
commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year in the period 
2011 through 2021.''.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA: PLANNING AND PERMITTING 
              PIPELINE AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Transportation, shall facilitate and ensure permits, in an 
environmentally responsible manner, for all surface development 
activities, including for the construction of pipelines and roads, 
necessary to--
            (1) develop and bring into production any areas within the 
        National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska that are subject to oil 
        and gas leases; and
            (2) transport oil and gas from and through the National 
        Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to existing transportation or 
        processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska.
    (b) Timeline.--The Secretary shall ensure that any Federal 
permitting agency shall issue permits in accordance with the following 
timeline:
            (1) Permits for such construction for transportation of oil 
        and natural gas produced under existing Federal oil and gas 
        leases with respect to which the Secretary has issued a permit 
        to drill shall be approved within 60 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
            (2) Permits for such construction for transportation of oil 
        and natural gas produced under Federal oil and gas leases shall 
        be approved within 6 months after the submission to the 
        Secretary of a request for a permit to drill.
    (c) Plan.--To ensure timely future development of the Reserve, 
within 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall submit to Congress a plan for approved 
rights-of-way for a plan for pipeline, road, and any other surface 
infrastructure that may be necessary infrastructure that will ensure 
that all leasable tracts in the Reserve are within 25 miles of an 
approved road and pipeline right-of-way that can serve future 
development of the Reserve.

SEC. 5. DEPARTMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall issue 
regulations within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act 
that establish clear requirements to ensure that the Department of the 
Interior is supporting development of oil and gas leases in the 
National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
    (b) Deadlines.--At a minimum, the regulations shall--
            (1) require the Department to respond within 5 business 
        days acknowledging receipt of any permit application for such 
        development; and
            (2) establish a timeline for the processing of each such 
        application, that--
                    (A) specifies deadlines for decisions and actions 
                on permit applications; and
                    (B) provide that the period for issuing each permit 
                after submission of such an application shall not 
                exceed 60 days without the concurrence of the 
                applicant.
    (c) Actions Required for Failure To Comply With Deadlines.--If the 
Department fails to comply with any deadline under subsection (b) with 
respect to a permit application, the Secretary shall notify the 
applicant every 5 days with specific information regarding the reasons 
for the permit delay, the name of the specific Department office or 
offices responsible for issuing the permit and for monitoring the 
permit delay, and an estimate of the time that the permit will be 
issued.

SEC. 6. UPDATED RESOURCE ASSESSMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall complete a 
comprehensive assessment of all technically recoverable fossil fuel 
resources within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, including 
all conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas.
    (b) Cooperation and Consultation.--The resource assessment required 
by subsection (a) shall be carried out by the United States Geological 
Survey in cooperation and consultation with the State of Alaska and the 
American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
    (c) Timing.--The resource assessment required by subsection (a) 
shall be completed within 24 months of the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
    (d) Funding.--The United States Geological Survey may, in carrying 
out the duties under this section, cooperatively use resources and 
funds provided by the State of Alaska.
National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - (Sec. 2) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) in Alaska remains explicitly designated to provide oil and natural gas resources to the United States, and (2) it is national policy to actively advance oil and gas development within the NPR.

(Sec. 3) Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the NPR to include at least one lease sale annually in those areas of the NPR most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2011-2021.

(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to ensure permits, according to a specified timeline, for all surface development activities, including pipelines and roads construction to: (1) develop and bring into production any areas within the NPR that are subject to oil and gas leases; and (2) transport oil and gas from and through the NPR to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska.

(Sec. 5) Instructs the Secretary to issue regulations establishing clear requirements to ensure that the Department of the Interior is supporting development of oil and gas leases in the NPR.

(Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including all conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas.

Requires the resource assessment to be implemented by the U.S. Geological Survey, which is authorized to use resources and funds provided by the state of Alaska.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Financing Advanced and 
Superconducting Transmission Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. 5-YEAR DEPRECIATION FOR ADVANCED ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION 
              PROPERTY.

    (a) In General.--Subparagraph (B) of section 168(e)(3) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining 5-year property) is amended by 
striking ``and'' at the end of clause (vi), by striking the period at 
the end of clause (vii) and inserting ``, and'', and by inserting after 
clause (vii) the following new clause:
                            ``(viii) is qualified advanced electric 
                        transmission property (as described in section 
                        48(c)(6)) which is placed in service before 
                        January 1, 2017''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to property placed in service after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 3. INVESTMENT TAX CREDIT FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY TRANSMISSION PROPERTY 
              AND ADVANCED ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION PROPERTY.

    (a) In General.--Subparagraph (A) of section 48(a)(3) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining energy property) is amended by 
striking ``or'' at the end of clause (vi) and by inserting after clause 
(vii) the following new clauses:
                            ``(viii) qualified high efficiency 
                        transmission property, or
                            ``(ix) qualified advanced electric 
                        transmission property,''.
    (b) 30 Percent Credit.--Clause (i) of section 48(a)(2)(A) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ``and'' at the end 
of subclause (III) and by inserting after subclause (IV) the following:
                                    ``(V) qualified advanced electric 
                                transmission property, and''.
    (c) Definitions.--Subsection (c) of section 48 of such Code is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(5) Qualified high efficiency transmission property.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `qualified high 
                efficiency transmission property' means any high 
                voltage overhead electric transmission line, related 
                substation, or other integrated facility that--
                            ``(i) utilizes advanced conductor core 
                        technology that has been determined by the 
                        Secretary of Energy as--
                                    ``(I) reasonably likely to become 
                                commercially viable within ten (10) 
                                years of the date of enactment of the 
                                Financing Advanced and Superconducting 
                                Transmission Act of 2009,
                                    ``(II) is suitable for use on 
                                transmission lines up to 765kV, and
                                    ``(III) exhibits power losses at 
                                least 30 percent lower than that of 
                                transmission lines using conventional 
                                `ACSR' conductors,
                            ``(ii) has been determined by an 
                        appropriate energy regulatory body, upon 
                        application, to be in the public interest and 
                        thereby eligible for inclusion in regulated 
                        rates, and
                            ``(iii) can be located safely and 
                        economically in a right of way not to exceed 
                        that used by conventional `ACSR' conductors.
                    ``(B) Termination.--The term `qualified high 
                efficiency transmission property' shall not include any 
                property placed in service after December 31, 2016.
            ``(6) Qualified advanced electric transmission property.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `qualified advanced 
                electric transmission property' means any high voltage 
                electric transmission cable, related substation, 
                converter station, or other integrated facility that--
                            ``(i) utilizes advanced ultra low 
                        resistance superconductive material or other 
                        advanced technology that has been determined by 
                        the Secretary of Energy as--
                                    ``(I) reasonably likely to become 
                                commercially viable within 10 years 
                                after the date of enactment of the 
                                Financing Advanced and Superconducting 
                                Transmission Act of 2009,
                                    ``(II) capable of reliably 
                                transmitting at least 5 gigawatts of 
                                high-voltage electric energy for 
                                distances greater than 300 miles with 
                                energy losses not exceeding 3 percent 
                                of the total power transported, and
                                    ``(III) not creating an 
                                electromagnetic field,
                            ``(ii) has been determined by an 
                        appropriate energy regulatory body, upon 
                        application, to be in the public interest and 
                        thereby eligible for inclusion in regulated 
                        rates, and
                            ``(iii) can be located safely and 
                        economically in a permanent underground right 
                        of way not to exceed 25 feet in width.
                    ``(B) Energy percentage.--In the case of any 
                qualified advanced electric transmission property 
                placed in service before January 1, 2015, with a length 
                of not less than 150 miles, subsection (a)(2)(A)(i) 
                shall be applied by substituting `50 percent' for `30 
                percent'.
                    ``(C) Termination.--The term `qualified advanced 
                electric transmission property' shall not include any 
                property placed in service after December 31, 2016.''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to periods after the date of the enactment of this Act, in 
taxable years ending after such date, under rules similar to the rules 
of section 48(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as in effect on 
the day before the date of the enactment of the Revenue Reconciliation 
Act of 1990).

Financing Advanced and Superconducting Transmission Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) accelerated depreciation of qualified advanced electric transmission property placed in service before January 1, 2017; and (2) an energy tax credit for investment in qualified high efficiency transmission property or qualified advanced electric transmission property.