A U.S. Department of Agriculture announcement published in November’s Carolina Country stated that Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, based in Tarboro, will apply $1 million of its recently awarded $6.4 million USDA loan to install automatic meters. The cooperative issued the followed clarification: “Edgecombe-Martin County EMC will receive a $6.4 million loan through USDA. However, only $46,287 is allocated for meter purchases. Edgecombe-Martin County EMC completed its AMI [advanced metering infrastructure] project implementation in 2006. The $6.4 million dollar loan will primarily be used for construction of a new substation that will replace Edgecombe-Martin County EMC’s oldest substation and various other system upgrades that will improve reliability and allow for future growth.”