mr. chairman , it has come to my attention that certain federal agencies with permitting , licensing , and leasing authority are requiring some of my constituents to agree to stipulations in their coal leases that go beyond protecting threatened or endangered species .  for example , before the bureau of land management will issue a lease , they require the lessee to agree to potential modifications in the lease .  these modifications can be based not only on species that are threatened or endangered , but also on species that are proposed to be listed , candidate species , and distinct population segments .  section 10 of the bill authorizes cooperative agreements between federal agencies and states that cover candidate species and any other species that the state and the secretary agree is at risk of being listed as an endangered or threatened species .  is the intent of the legislation to broaden the scope of the esa by allowing the government to regulate species that are not yet threatened or endangered by imposing new potential regulatory requirements , withholding of permits and licenses , or requiring special stipulations on federal leases ?  