The owners of an oil and gas company accused of environmental damage in and around the Allegheny National Forest have agreed to pay a $400,000 fine and cease operations in Pennsylvania, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.

Stephen and Cynthia Ford, of Lakewood, N.Y., and their companies violated state environmental regulations for more than a decade, DEP spokeswoman Freda Tarbell said yesterday.

The companies, Synd Enterprises and Vertical Resources, "have had chronic, serious violations everywhere they have operated," Ms. Tarbell said.

Kelly Burch, a DEP regional director, said the settlement was in the best interests of residents and the environment. Under the deal, the Fords will sell their oil and gas assets to Catalyst Energy Inc., the DEP said.

In January, the DEP said it was seeking more than $600,000 in penalties from the Fords, claiming their companies violated 98 environmental laws and regulations.

When the fine was announced, Stephen Ford disputed the number of allegations, but admitted they had some "reasonable violations" and said they were working with the DEP.

Alleged violations included overpressured wells that cause gas migration and contaminate groundwater; failure to implement erosion and sedimentation controls, causing accelerated erosion; unpermitted discharges of brine onto the ground; and encroachments into floodways and streams without permits.