(RepublicanDaily.org) – Environmental activists are getting various counties in California to cancel July 4 fireworks shows, arguing that the fireworks pollute the ecosystem. With less than a week to go until America celebrates its independence, Los Angeles and the surrounding area will be making much stricter rules around who can set off fireworks on July 4, choosing to play it safe and avoid potential lawsuits.
The Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) sued a July 4 event hosted by the city of Long Beach last year claiming that fireworks set off at the event let off chemicals that then leaked into Alamitos Bay and damaged the ecosystem. According to CERF this was illegal under the Clean Water Act. The judge in this 2022 case disagreed, but evidence during proceedings did show some pollutants from fireworks got into the bay. LA’s Water Quality Control authority is therefore putting in stricter rules and requiring a permit process for anyone who wants to set off fireworks on Independence Day.
CERF lawyer Livia Beaudin said that while she understands some people might be “upset” about shows getting cancelled she wants to encourage people and groups to still celebrate if they’d like under the stricter new permitting rules. The new rules are very detailed and were put in rapidly, with many fireworks companies and show organizers saying such as Pyro Spectaculars chief Jim Souza saying they had no time to adjust and were “unilaterally” told to comply or shut down.
The new regulations include rules about closer surveillance of fireworks shows by staff, immediate cleanup of plastic and discharged debris from fireworks and other protective measures. Souza says some of these new rules would put his staff in danger and are not feasible.
Although many shows will just comply with the stricter regulations, other shows have been cancelled, unable to find the right suppliers or adjust in time to the new rules, including canceled July 4 fireworks shows in Redondo Beach and Pacific Palisades.
Copyright 2023, RepublicanDaily.org
