South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) is suing the Biden administration over its decision to cancel the Independence Day fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore.
According to Fox News, Noem filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota Central Division on Friday.
“Mount Rushmore is the very best place to celebrate America’s birthday and all that makes our country special. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration cancelled our Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. So we’re suing them to get the fireworks back,” Noem tweeted on Friday.
She added, “After telling us they’d ‘circle back,’ the Biden Administration has not responded to our request to uphold the Memorandum of Agreement between the State of South Dakota and the National Parks Service to host a safe and responsible national celebration and fireworks show.”
https://twitter.com/govkristinoem/status/1388153971689234436
Noem accused the Biden administration of departing “from precedent and reneged on this agreement without any meaningful explanation.”
She continued, “We’re asking the court to enjoin Interior’s denial of the fireworks permit and order it to issue a permit for the event expeditiously.”
https://twitter.com/govkristinoem/status/1388153972704219136
Last month, the National Parks Service (NPS) told South Dakota it decided to ban the fireworks due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, tribal objections, and safety of the park itself.
Former President Donald Trump hosted a Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore last year featuring fireworks and military flyovers.
During his speech, he touched on those who were calling for the removal of monuments throughout the nation.
“I am here as your president to proclaim before the country, and before the world, this monument will never be desecrated,” Trump said.
He added, “These heroes will never be defaced. Their legacy will never ever be destroyed, their achievements will never be forgotten, and Mount Rushmore will stand forever. As an eternal tribute to our forefathers, and to our freedom.”
Trump’s fireworks celebration came a little over a decade after pyrotechnics were banned from the location.
