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Kristi Noem’s Mt. Rushmore Firework Plans Axed Over Tribes’ Protest: Report

The Republican South Dakota governor claimed the Independence Day display would be “the best way that we can celebrate America’s birthday.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s request to hold a firework display at Mount Rushmore to celebrate Independence Day has been rejected on the grounds that fireworks are opposed by local tribes, according to a report. In a letter rejecting the request obtained by the Daily Caller, the National Park Service wrote: “Fireworks continue to be viewed by multiple Tribes as an adverse effect on the traditional cultural landscape … This view was expressed by consulting Tribes in 2020 and has been reaffirmed by Tribal government representatives in subsequent meetings and letters.” Noem previously sent letters to Republican members of Congress from her state asking for their help in stopping the fireworks being canceled as they had been under the Obama administration, telling the Daily Caller: “The Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration is the best way that we can celebrate America’s birthday.”