RALEIGH - The 2003 blackout that left millions without power in the northern United States and Canada could spell the death of the pine and cedar in Judy Austin's yard.

Under the trees are the graves of Keeter Kat, Bud Jr. and other pets. The trees gave privacy from their neighbors.

Now, they are falling victim to Progress Energy's $30 million plan to chop 50,000 trees in the next three years near transmission lines across North Carolina and South Carolina. The plan means that trees, which Progress Energy once only pruned, will be cut down. What's lost in Meredith Woods are huge maples, pines, cedars and oaks that shade homes and provide character for the established, decades-old neighborhood.

"They've shown a total disregard for people who live under the power lines," said Austin, who has rallied neighbors in the Meredith Woods subdivision against the plan.

Progress Energy representatives say they have no choice. A new federal rule -- spurred by the blackout -- levies stiff fines for any power outage caused by trees and vegetation along transmission lines.

"We certainly recognize that, for property owners, that this change is difficult," said said Mike Hughes, a spokesman for the utility company. "It's not something we wanted to do."

Transmission lines are like the interstate of the electric grid, moving large amounts of electricity from power plants to neighborhoods. Progress Energy's lines extend along a cleared corridor that can stretch 70 feet to 100 feet wide. When they fail, tens of thousands can lose power.

Trees sagging onto transmission lines started the chain reaction that left 50 million customers without power across the Northeast, Great Lakes region and Canada in August 2003. The estimated economic effect was $6 billion, according to the federal government.

Congress took action, passing a bill in 2005 that set new rules for power companies and new authority to impose fines of up to $1 million a day per violation of the new regulations. The rules went into effect June 18.

According to Progress Energy, trees touching transmission lines aren't the only hazards. Trees growing near the lines can cause a fire if electricity arcs from the line to nearby trees in the right conditions.

For years, Progress Energy had been trimming the trees under its regular maintenance program. The company allows trees on easements, land where it has the rights to control trees and other structures on the property, that would grow only as tall as 12 feet at maturity, Hughes said.

Hughes said the company doesn't have the resources to trim trees that grow higher to ensure that it reaches only 12 feet. The cost of all that monitoring, he said, would be "astronomical," and ultimately paid for by all utility customers.

Tree-cutting areas

Meredith Woods is among the first neighborhoods in Wake County to be notified of the tree-cutting efforts. Work also is under way in the Wilmington area, New Bern, Aberdeen, Sanford and Florence, S.C., Hughes said. Staffers at the state's public utilities commission have fielded calls from concerned homeowners.

Other utility companies face the same mandates.

Mary Kathryn Green, a spokeswoman for Duke Energy, which serves parts of the Triangle, said the company had already been voluntarily complying with the rules before June. The company cuts down trees or uses herbicides to keep transmission lines free from growth. Duke allows property owners to plant trees that would grow only to 15 feet in maturity along transmission lines rights of way.

Even Duke may have to be more aggressive because of the new rules, said Tom Lam, senior engineer in the public staff of the N.C. Utilities Commission.

"They do not have a choice," Lam said.

Trees, said Ed Legge, a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, a Washington trade group for the power industry, are one of the industry's biggest dilemmas. "We want to protect the environment around our equipment and, at the same time, the No. 1 bane of electrical lines is trees combined with weather."

A transmission line runs through yards in Meredith Woods, a leafy neighborhood with mature trees. Homeowners know Progress Energy has easements that allows the company to trim or cut down any trees in the way.

But the company could trim the trees instead of cutting them down, residents say.

"They've chosen to just take the easy way," Austin said.

Homeowners in Meredith Woods said Progress Energy has never officially contacted them with formal letters about the plans.

Homeowners first heard about plans to cut down trees in July when crews came through to look at trees. Crews returned a couple of weeks ago, placing bright orange-red tape around trees that they say must go. The company began cutting down some trees nearby this week.

Robert L. Edwards, who lives on Glen Burnie Drive in Meredith Woods, understands the need to keep trees off power lines, but says trimming is the best way to do it.

"This inflexible bureaucracy is infuriating," he said. "I stand to lose a half dozen cedars. It would greatly diminish the appearance of my property."