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In sum, the statute requires an operator (any corporation engaged in or controlling a mining operation, § 34-32-103 (10)) to first obtain a permit before engaging in a mining operation. Since a mining operation is defined to include all developmental work, there is a conflict between the Applicant's proposal and the requirements of the statute. The proposal merely contemplates that no commercial operations will be commenced until the baseline data have been gathered, but leaves the operator free to pursue unspecified developmental activities while the information gathering activities are taking place. The Applicant is therefore proposing to circumvent the statutory requirement for a permit in advance of development activities. The same requirements aze reflected in the statutory provisions governing permit applications. "Any operator desiring to obtain a reclamation permit shall make written application...to the office with a permit on forms provided by the boazd.° § 34-32-112 (1). The application must include "a reclamation plan submitted with each of the applications." § 34-32- 112 (1)(b). The "reclamation plan shall include provisions for, or satisfactory explanation of, all general requirements for the type of reclamation proposed to be implemented by the operator. Reclamation shall be required on all the affected land. The reclamation plan shall include: *** (b) A description of how the reclamation plan will be implemented to meet the requirements of Section 34-32-116." § 34-32-112 (3)(b). The statutory cross-reference is to the duties of operators. "Every operator to whom a permit is issued pursuant to the provisions of this article shall perform such reclamation as is prescribed by the reclamation plan adopted pursuant to this section." § 34-32-116 (1). Reclamation plans and the implementation thereof shall conform to the following general requirements: Disturbances to the prevailing hydrologic balance of the affected land and of the surrounding area and to the quality and quantity of water in surface and groundwater systems both during and after the mining operation and during reclamation shall be minimized. Nothing in this pazagraph (g) shall be construed to allow the operator to avoid compliance with the statutory provision governing well permits and augmentation requirements and replacement plans when applicable. § 34-32-116 (7)(g). So, the Applicant's submission for a reclamation permit must include a reclamation plan. The reclamation plan must meet the requirements stated in the listing of the duties of the operator. The duties of the operator include a general requirement for minimizing disturbances to the prevailing hydrologic balance of the affected land and in the surrounding azea, and to the quality and quantity in surface and groundwater systems both during and after mining operation. A complete reclamation plan addressing this requirement is therefore a prerequisite for a permit. A complete reclamation plan cannot be prepared in the absence of baseline data, since in the absence of baseline data, one cannot make a judgment about whether a plan can be effective at minimizing the environmental disturbances in question.