But he did get the company to agree to compile information about its rock exports as a condition of a county special use permit extension for the operation of its cement quarry in Puunene.

Starr's demands were based on a concern on Maui that the island's supply of sand for construction and other uses is dwindling. Last year, Maui County released a sand resource study that found the island's accessible sand resources would be gone in five to seven years, as a result of extensive sand mining as well as because much of the island's growth is taking place on areas with sand resources.

Sand is a key ingredient in concrete mixes and is used in beach replenishment projects.

In April, Hawaiian Cement pledged to the Maui Planning Commission that it would keep the sand that it mines on Maui for use on the Valley Isle.

Eric Yoshizawa of Ameron Hawaii said his company could not make the same pledge. He said Ameron has contractual obligations that would prohibit it from discontinuing its exportation of sand to other islands.

Starr said he was concerned that the island's dwindling supply of sand going to construction projects in other parts of the state is jeopardizing Maui projects.

"I feel it's been going on long enough and it has to stop," he said.

Ameron was before the Maui Planning Commission seeking extensions on county and state special use permits for its Puunene quarry operations, which are on agricultural land.

The Planning Commission approved one-year extensions on the county permit with a condition that Ameron compile a report on its rock exports for the last 10 years and a projection of what it will export in the decade following. In addition, the commission required Ameron to conduct a rock "quantification" study so that it could have information about the island's rock supply.

Yoshizawa agreed to provide a rock export report in a year's time plus estimates of the rock supply at its Puunene quarry. Yoshizawa estimated there was at least 70 years worth of rock available.

In approving the state special use permit, the commission included a recommendation that the Land Use Commission verify whether the state was owed royalties out of the rock quarry.

On the county special use permit, planning Commissioners Bruce U'u, Wayne Hedani and Kent Hiranaga expressed concern that the operations would be unnecessarily held up because of the concern over sand exports. They pointed out that the rock-crushing and cement operations did not involve sand-mining activities.

Hedani said it would be "somewhat selfish and self serving" if the planning commissioners blocked the rock quarry operations because of the island's dwindling sand supply.

U'u said he didn't want his vote on either the cement or rock quarry to adversely affect projects in other parts of the state, simply because of Maui's concern about its sand supply. He said he recognized that Ameron conducts business statewide and has to support its affiliates and projects, which in turn, support Maui.

"I think we do more of the taking, than giving," U'u said.

Starr called Ameron a "culprit" in the loss of Maui's sand supply.

"I don't see them as wonderful knights on white horses," he said.

In response to questions from the Planning Commission, Yoshizawa said he believed Ameron eventually will need to import sand to the islands for construction.

Planning Commissioner Joan Pawsat said she supported Starr's initial motion to deny the special use permits, not because of concerns about the island's sand supply, but to trigger the company to look at alternatives while giving time to county and state officials to study its its rock and sand supplies.

"It just makes them stop and think about what they're doing," she said. "I don't think this is a do-or-die situation."

When Ameron didn't get its initial approval for a permit extension, commissioners called an executive session to discuss the legal ramifications of the actions they might take.

After the executive session, planning commissioners voted to give Ameron a one-year county special use permit extension with the condition for a rock supply study and a report on the company's rock exports.