President Donald Trump is surging ahead with plans for a major fireworks display at Mount Rushmore on July 4th despite environmental concerns, reports The Independent.
"I called up our people and in 15 minutes got it approved, and we will have the first fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, and I will try and get out there if I can," Trump said Wednesday, during a signing ceremony for an initial US-China trade deal.
"That will be great."
Fireworks were discontinued at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 2009 over environmental concerns including risk of fires, though Trump suggested Wednesday there had not been a large fireworks display there.
Trump said "no one knew why" the fireworks had been cancelled and "they just said environmental reasons."
"What can burn?" he added. "It's stone."
A federal investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey published in 2016 found elevated levels of perchlorate, a component found in explosives and some nitrogen fertilizers, in groundwater in 2011.
The threat of a pine beetle infestation in the Black Hills National Forest has also been cited as a reason as to why the fireworks stopped.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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