Biden admin prevents 4th of July fireworks at Mount Rushmore, Kristi Noem sues

"Mount Rushmore is the very best place to celebrate America's birthday and all that makes our country special. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration cancelled our Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration" wrote Gov. Noem on Twitter. "So we're suing them to get our fireworks back."

Gov. Noem sent a letter to President Joe Biden earlier in April urging him to uphold an earlier agreement between the state and the National Parks service to hold the fireworks event. She addressed concerns the NPS had with the event, including pandemic related and tribal concerns.

She stated in the letter that the NPS saying the event would not be safe due to the pandemic went directly against statements Biden had made back in March marking July 4th as a target date for things to begin returning to normal.

The NPS had also cited potential concerns with tribes in the area, to which Gov. Noem said they would once again work closely with tribal leaders to ensure their voices are heard.

Gov. Noem said that the The Biden Administration has not responded to her requests, forcing her to take the matter to court where she urged for federal courts to issue a permit "expeditiously."

"After telling us they'd "circle back," the Biden Administration has not responded to our request to uphold the Memorandum of Agreement between the State of South Dakota and the National Parks Service to host a safe and responsible national celebration and fireworks show," wrote Gov. Noem.

"Unfortunately, the new administration departed from precedent and reneged on this agreement without any meaningful explanation," Gov. Noem continued. "We are asking the court to enjoin the Department of Interior’s denial of the fireworks permit and order it to issue a permit for the event expeditiously.”

The 2020 fireworks display at Mount Rushmore marked the first time since 2009 that the event had been held, and included appearances by former President Donald Trump and performances by local tribes. The event had been canceled in previous years due to concerns with fires.