California city cancels fireworks shows for Fourth of July due to environmental regulations
David Zimmermann
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Los Angeles has canceled several Fourth of July fireworks shows that were scheduled to take place along the city’s coastline due to new environmental regulations.
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a countywide order that requires all fireworks vendors to obtain a permit for their public displays and encourages the use of biodegradable plastics as of May 25. The decision was made to curb ocean pollution caused by plastic debris following all fireworks shows.
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Most shows in the area will still occur through obtaining a permit, the Los Angeles Times reported. However, at least five will be canceled over the holiday weekend due to one fireworks company’s refusal to comply with the new rules.
Pyro Spectaculars by Souza declined to seek a permit from the regional water board over employees’ safety concerns.
“We cannot and will not risk the safety of our staff and the public to comply with the restrictive regulations,” CEO Jim Souza said. “The water board instituted the new regulations quickly and unilaterally, with little input from us, one of the largest and most experienced firework show producers in the nation.”
The company claimed the environmental regulations will put its pyrotechnicians in harm’s way during and after the shows. Under the new permit requirements, they would be obligated to perform real-time monitoring of the pyrotechnics displays and conduct cleanup immediately after the shows. These concerns were expressed by a Pyro Spectaculars spokesperson at the Los Angeles water board meeting in May.
At the meeting, local water board officials said the company could use a video monitoring system to address its safety concerns, but the alternative option did not sway the fireworks vendor.
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The pollution concern was raised by the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation in a federal lawsuit earlier this year. The California-based environmental activist organization alleged a fireworks show over Long Beach’s bay violated the Clean Water Act by discharging plastic pollutants into the water.
Though the judge did not rule in favor of the plaintiffs, news of the case caught the attention of the regional water board in Los Angeles. The city’s new permit was crafted in response to the suit’s outcome.