State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville) says he is as conservative as they come but the first-term Alabama House member joined many other tax-averse lawmakers to pass the state’s first increase in the gas tax since 1992.

Before Gov. Kay Ivey called a special session of the legislature just to deal with the gas tax — designed to provide an estimated $320 million annually to upgrade roads, bridges and docks, as well as build a network of charging stations for electric and hybrid cars — Oliver sounded like he would be hard to sell.