1:59
Governor Kristi Noem wants President Joe Biden to reinstate the Fourth of July fireworks at Mount Rushmore.
The call comes less than a month after spring wildfires led to evacuations in west Rapid City and the temporary closing of the shrine of democracy.
Governor Noem says the Park Service is reneging on a Memorandum of Agreement between that agency and the state of South Dakota.
The agreement from 2019 states the Department of the Interior and the state agree to pursue working to return fireworks to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial in a safe and responsible manner.
The Park Service says the coronavirus, fire hazard and water contamination are reasons for discontinuing the fireworks, which returned last year and were attended by then-President Donald Trump.