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Mt. Rushmore Fireworks Show Cost Nearly $4 Million

Mt. Rushmore fireworks

Last year’s Independence Day fireworks show at Mount Rushmore cost $3.9 million.

That’s according to a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The state of South Dakota paid for nearly a third of the cost. It spent $1.1 million dollars, while the federal government covered the rest.

Three Democratic U.S. senators asked for the report. It says further Independence Day celebrations in Washington, D.C., cost another $11 million.

The National Park Service denied permission for the fireworks this year.

Lee Strubinger is SDPB’s Rapid City-based politics and public policy reporter. Lee is a two-time national Edward R. Murrow Award winning reporter. He holds a master’s in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield.