The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has moved to shut down a York County scrap yard, while simultaneously asking a judge to jail its owner for repeated violations.
The state agency filed a petition for civil contempt against Joseph J. Darrah, owner of J&K Salvage in Spring Garden Township. The filing marks a major escalation in a years-long legal battle involving the scrap yard, which neighbors and state officials say has become a persistent danger to the surrounding community.
The order comes weeks after a major fire at J&K Salvage on Kings Mill Road in Spring Garden Township, York County, caused oil to spill into a nearby waterway that feeds the Codorus Creek, which then flows into the Susquehanna River.
J&K is ordered to stop accepting and processing waste and begin removing waste at the site.
“In addition, DEP notified the Commonwealth Court that J&K Salvage has not complied with a 2024 Court Order and requested that the Court compel compliance by jailing the owner, imposing daily penalties, and imposing a judgment for a previous penalty,” a statement from DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said. “We will not tolerate flagrant disregard of the laws and regulations that exist to protect public health and Pennsylvania’s air, land, and water. DEP has ordered J&K to shut down and clean up their operations, we are going to court to get them to comply with those orders.”
The DEP is asking the Commonwealth Court to intervene after Darrah allegedly failed to comply with previous court orders and a long-standing consent agreement. The agency’s latest move includes two major requests:
Immediate Closure: An order to cease all operations at the facility until it meets state environmental and safety standards.
Incarceration: The DEP is asking the court to hold Darrah in contempt and commit him to jail until the facility is brought into full compliance.
The scrap yard, located near the Regents Glen community and the York County Heritage Rail Trail, has been under intense scrutiny for over a decade. Residents have long complained of “shrapnel” and metal debris being launched from the facility’s metal shredder onto public paths and private property.
According to court documents, the facility has allegedly failed to:
Install adequate shielding to prevent metal debris from leaving the property.
Manage hazardous fluids (such as oil and gasoline) leaking from crushed vehicles.
Address noise and air quality violations that have plagued the neighborhood since a 2007 Consent Order Agreement.
A hearing in Commonwealth Court is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks. If the judge grants the DEP’s petition, it would represent one of the most severe penalties handed down for environmental violations in the region in recent years.
