Membership Cooperatives

Two electric cooperatives in North Carolina have been awarded more than $23 million in federal loans to help repair infrastructure in rural areas. The USDA said Wednesday that Central Electric Membership Corp. in Sanford and Rutherford Electric Membership Corp. in Forest City were awarded the loans. Central will receive $7.5 million and Rutherford will receive $16 million. US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the money is part of more than $1 billion awarded to utilities and cooperatives in 30 states. The money will be used to build and repair more than 11,200 miles of distribution and transmission lines in rural communities. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 8/19/09)