PIERRE, S.D.(Press Release) – Wednesday, on behalf of Governor Kristi Noem, the South Dakota Department of Tourism submitted its application for a special use permit for the 2022 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. The application was submitted to the National Parks Service (NPS).

“There truly is no better place to celebrate America’s birthday than Mount Rushmore, our nation’s enduring Shrine to Democracy,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Despite their arbitrary decision to cancel the 2021 Fireworks Celebration, the Biden Administration has an opportunity to work with us to celebrate next year and for the years to come.”

Under Governor Noem’s leadership, the Fireworks Celebration was returned to Mount Rushmore in 2020 after being canceled for more than a decade. Unfortunately, NPS rejected the permit application for the 2021 celebration, and Governor Noem is currently in litigation with NPS over that rejection. The name of that lawsuit is Noem v. Haaland.

The Fireworks Celebration would occur in conjunction with the Memorandum of Agreement signed on May 6, 2019, between the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Governor Noem.