Several Indigenous and environmental groups have asked the federal government to step in and protect some endangered caribou herds on provincial land in Alberta. In a letter to federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, the coalition said Alberta hasn’t met Ottawa’s deadline for coming up with a plan to save five threatened herds in the northeastern part of the province heavily impacted by forestry and oilsands development. They said if Alberta won’t make the move, Ottawa should. …The formal petition delivered to McKenna on Monday, along with the letter, goes through 11 Alberta laws and concludes none offers legal protections, although Robinson [Ecojustice]  noted some companies try to minimize damage to caribou herds. Alberta and six other provinces continue to fail to meet a federal deadline to release recovery plans for threatened herds in their jurisdictions. That deadline passed in October.