A Cowlitz County committee drafting policies for alternative energy sources is still working on rules governing small-scale wind turbines, Mike Wojtowicz, the county's building and planning director, said last week.

He said it's too early to say when the group will come up with a policy. The committee Wojtowicz said Friday is digesting "a huge amount of material," including examples of codes from other jurisdictions.

"I'm not pushing them too hard," he said.

Longview realtor Bill Hallanger has been pressing the committee to draft a policy so he can put up an $8,000 windmill he bought from an Arizona company earlier this year.

Because the county has never before drafted rules for wind turbines, Hallanger would have to apply for a special use permit to continue with his project. That, county officials said, would be expensive and there's no guarantee Hallanger would be granted the permit.

County officials say they must review proposals like Hallanger's to protect neighbors from noise and other impacts.

Last month, Hallanger said the fee for the special use permit amounted to "a bribe." Hallanger couldn't be reached Saturday.