Gov. Noem Urges President Biden to Reconsider Ban on Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration

Fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during an Independence Day ev
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

In a letter sent Tuesday, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) requested President Joe Biden reverse his ban on Independence Day fireworks at Mount Rushmore.

Noem argued it would continue an agreement the government made with the state in 2020, according to Fox News.

“Last month, the National Park Service (NPS) notified us that they would be reneging on our Memorandum of Agreement to return fireworks to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in a safe and responsible manner,” her letter read in part:

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. This year, as we mark our independence from this virus, Mount Rushmore would be the perfect place for a national celebration and fireworks show.

The governor cited a letter from NPS that listed several reasons it believed a fireworks display would not be “safe or responsible this year.” She added, “But the facts and data tell a very different story.”

“Last year, we hosted more than seven thousand people. Contact tracing weeks after the event could not trace a single case of COVID-19 to the event – in South Dakota or in any other state,” she wrote in regard to one of the agency’s concerns.

Former President Donald Trump spoke during the Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore in 2020.

“Trump and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) have been ripped for not requiring masks and social distancing at the event. Activists are also protesting the existence of Mount Rushmore, saying it was built on stolen land by a KKK sympathizer, and warning that the fireworks show (the first since 2009) could cause wildfires,” Breitbart News reported on July 3.

The establishment media also criticized Noem for allowing citizens to enjoy personal freedoms and go to work during the pandemic.

In her letter to Biden, the governor said, “We are committed to hosting a Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration that is safe and responsible and working closely with NPS to do so.”

“I respectfully ask that you continue the hopeful message you shared earlier this year and uphold our Agreement to host the event this year. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter,” she concluded.

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