South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem filed suit against the Biden administration on Friday for canceling the Mount Rushmore Independence Day fireworks display.
feed to stay on top of the news.
“The park’s many tribal partners expressly oppose fireworks at the Memorial,” NPS Regional Director Herbert Frost wrote in a letter denying the state’s request.
Fireworks returned to the national memorial last year for the holiday for the first time since 2009, prompting protests. They had previously been canceled due to wildfire risks. Former President Trump gave a speech at the site last year.
The Sioux Falls Argus Leaders reports Noem on Thursday announced she’s directed her office to sue the NPS.
“I’m going to file a lawsuit against the administration to get the fireworks back,” Noem reportedly said during an event at a local Rotary Club Thursday.
South Dakota governor calls the administrations permit denial partisan and political on Your Word
EXCLUSIVE: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sued the Biden administration on Friday after it canceled the Independence Day fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore, demanding the court expeditiously issue a permit for the event to take place.
Noem, a Republican, filed a lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota Central Division. Mount Rushmore is the very best place to celebrate America’s birthday and all that makes our country special, Noem wrote. After telling us they’d ‘circle back,’ the Biden Administration has not responded to our request to uphold the Memorandum Agreement between the State of South Dakota and the National Parks Service to host a safe and responsible national celebration and fireworks show.
Share
Source: AP Photo/James Nord, File
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) is suing the Biden administration for canceling an iconic Fourth of July celebration in her state. The National Park Service (NPS) denied a permit for fireworks on Independence Day at Mount Rushmore for this July, after former President Trump’s celebration last year. Potential risks to the park itself and to the health and safety of employees and visitors associated with the fireworks demonstration continue to be a concern and are still being evaluated as a result of the 2020 event,” NPS Regional Director Herbert Frost wrote to the state’s tourism office.
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what s clicking on Foxnews.com.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sent a letter Tuesday requesting that President Biden reverse his administration s ban on an Independence Day fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore this year, arguing doing so would be in keeping with an agreement the federal government made with her state last year. There is a long history of celebrations of American independence at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, including fireworks displays from 1998 to 2009 and again in 2020, she said. This year, as we mark our independence from this virus, Mount Rushmore would be a perfect place for a national celebration and fireworks show, Noem added. She pointed to Biden s recent comments aiming to allow small gatherings in a victory against the virus on Independence Day.