A new poll shows that three-quarters of Kansans who were surveyed prefer the expanded use of wind energy, as opposed to more conventional coal-fired power plants.

The Kansas City Star reports the survey comes on the heels of a decision not to allow two coal-fired power plants to be built in Western Kansas. Participants by a two-to-one margin also said they supported that decision by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment:

The poll was done mainly for research.

“We did not intend to initially make the poll public,” said Nancy Jackson, head of the Lawrence-based Climate and Energy Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan project sponsored by The Land Institute near Salina. “We found (the responses) striking and surprising. We thought it was worthy of sharing publicly.”

The coal power plants were rejected because of concerns over carbon emissions from those plants. Wind energy advocates point out the carbon-less nature of wind power.