(a) When application is made to conduct surface mining operations and before a permit is issued, the commission shall immediately have the areas to be included in the proposed permit surveyed in accordance with the requirements of Sections 131.035 and 131.037 through 131.041 of this code.
(b) In conducting the survey and in declaring various areas to be unsuitable for mining, the commission shall employ competent and scientifically sound data and information as the basis for objective decisions with respect to each area surveyed.