Kirk Offel, CEO of Overwatch Mission Critical, Delivers Testimony Before the Texas House Committee on State Affairs

LOCAL AUSTIN CEO KIRK OFFEL ON TEXAS DATA CENTERS + GRID IMPACT

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

AUSTIN, TX (April 8, 2026) — As Texas lawmakers examine the future of data center development, national security, and grid reliability, Kirk Offel, CEO of Overwatch Mission Critical, will deliver invited testimony before the Texas House Committee on State Affairs this Thursday.

WHAT: Public Hearing – Interim Charge on Data Centers (House State Affairs)

WHO: Kirk Offel, CEO, Overwatch Mission Critical (Austin-based)

WHEN: Thursday, April 9, 2026 | 10:00 AM CT
WHERE: Texas Capitol Extension, JHR 140
CHAIR: Rep. Ken King

Kirk Offel, CEO of Overwatch Mission Critical, will deliver invited testimony Thursday before the Texas House Committee on State Affairs on Texas’ rapidly expanding data center industry and its impact on national security, grid reliability, and economic growth.

As Texas emerges as a central hub for AI infrastructure, Offel will address why data centers are critical to keeping jobs, investment, and innovation in-state, and what happens if that buildout moves offshore.

He’ll also outline how disciplined regulation (SB 6/ERCOT) and workforce pipelines, especially veterans, can position Texas to lead without overloading the grid. Offel is available for in-studio or Capitol interviews immediately following the hearing.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Texas is at the center of the AI and digital infrastructure boom, and the decisions made now will shape the state’s economic competitiveness, energy grid, and workforce pipeline for decades.

Offel brings a rare combination of operator-level expertise and national security perspective, with key insights including: 

• AI Infrastructure = National Security:
  “If we don’t build and scale this infrastructure here in Texas and the U.S., it doesn’t disappear—it moves offshore.”
• Economic Engine for Texas Communities:
  Data centers are not one-time construction projects, they drive long-term jobs, small business growth, and local tax base expansion across regions.
• Grid Reliability Through Discipline, Not Delay:
  Texas doesn’t need to slow down growth, it needs disciplined regulation, including SB 6 and ERCOT’s Large Load Batch Study Process to ensure accountability and protect ratepayers.
• The Real Constraint: Workforce, Not Power:
  “The greatest threat to scaling this industry isn’t capital or energy, it’s skilled labor.”
  Texas has a built-in solution through veterans and technical workforce pipelines ready to be mobilized.

 GUEST: Kirk Offel, CEO/Founder, Overwatch Mission Critical

 MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Colbert, c: 626.244.5571, e: [email protected]