Last year, the Biden administration told the state of South Dakota that they could not hold a July 4th fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
This year, they are already saying the same thing.
One of the reasons given is that it might be offensive to local Native American tribes.
The Blaze reports:
Biden administration blocks July 4 fireworks at Mount Rushmore for second year in a row
The Biden administration is preventing South Dakota from putting on a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore for the second year in a row, in a decision harshly criticized by Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.
In a March 14 letter, the National Park Service informed the South Dakota Department of Tourism that a request for a permit to put on the fireworks display was denied. “After careful consideration, the NPS has determined that we are unable to grant your request for this permit to hold a special event with fireworks at the Memorial,” the letter stated.
“Based on the information provided in the application, we have determined that multiple such criteria are present for the requested event, each of which would be independently sufficient to deny the request for a permit.”
The Park Service said concerns over wildfires and opposition from Native American tribes were the chief factors in its decision. The letter stated that “fireworks are viewed by multiple Tribes as an adverse effect to the traditional cultural landscape” and cited a Tribal Cultural Survey conducted in May 2021 that found there was “ample opposition from the Tribes” to the last fireworks display, which took pace in 2020.
Governor Kristi Noem tweeted this message:
Does anyone believe the Biden admin’s excuse?
Cross posted from American Lookout.