A U.S. offshore wind energy sector that's at a standstill needs more attention in the waning days of the presidency, a coalition of state governors said.

Twenty governors in U.S. states, working under the umbrella of a renewable energy coalition, said in a letter to President Barack Obama the offshore wind energy sector was woefully behind the rest of the world. Europe, the governors said, has 11 gigawatts of capacity installed in offshore wind, while the United States is still putting the final touches on its first such installation off the coast of Rhode Island.

Deepwater Wind, one of the developers behind the Block Island wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, started construction on turbine foundations last year. The project should yield 30 megawatts of electric power, powering the 17,000 homes on Block Island, 12 miles from the mainland, that currently use diesel fuel for electricity.

The governors in their letter said project's like Deepwater Wind may be among the best ways to meet national energy demands in a way that also comes with fewer environmental risks than fossil fuels.

"We urge your administration to further streamline the offshore wind energy permitting process," the letter read. "Reasonable deadlines for agency actions need to be set and met."

The tax policies, meanwhile, are in place to support offshore wind energy development, but the governors said there's nothing in place to support.

Early this year, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management gave its consent for the first-ever wind energy research facility offshore Virginia. The research plan envisions the installation of two 6-megawatt turbines.

Wind energy development up and down the New England coast has been met with opposition from preservationists worried about the potential threat to coastal habitats and aesthetics.