National Park Service Again Denies South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Request to Hold Fireworks Show at Mount Rushmore on July 4

The National Park Service has again denied South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem request to hold a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore on July 4.

The federal agency cited opposition from Native American tribes and the possibility of starting wildfires as the reason for the rejection. A letter from the Interior Department, which oversees the park service, said a fireworks show would not be “safe and responsible.”

Noem held the event in summer 2020, when Republican Donald Trump was President, but was denied a permit in 2021 amid the pandemic.