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APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) - State Rep. Pat Garofalo sings the praises of the nations fracking revolution while he wipes down his electric car.

Let that sink in for a bit.

Nearly every day for the next five months, Garofalo will drive his jet black Tesla Model S from his home in Farmington to the Capitol. After parking his electric car - in a lot full of Democrats less-stylish hybrids - hell rail against energy subsidies for solar power and call for more pipelines to carry crude from North Dakotas oilfields across Minnesota.

Now chairman of a committee handling energy issues after Republicans won back the state House in the fall, Garofalo is also working out how to make electric cars easier and more attractive to buy. Hes mum on details, but hinted at tapping into money tied into the states solar energy subsidies.

He insists oil drilling, clean energy and electric cars arent, and shouldnt be, mutually exclusive. But he does recognize the oddity of a Republican driving a sleek electric sports car and not, say, a pickup truck.

Im more of a nerd than an ideologue, Garofalo, a network engineer by trade, said with a shrug over lunch last week.

The luxury electric carmaker Tesla is a poster-child for green energy, technology and, most recently, government subsidies. Nevada forked over a $1.3 billion tax incentive package last year to bring the companys new battery production facility to the state.

After more than 18 months of scoping out Tesla cars, Garofalo got his in November. He wouldnt say how much he paid, but his sedan model starts at $70,000 new.

Is it extravagant? Yeah. Is it a mid-life crisis? Absolutely, he said.

Two months later, his enthusiasm for his new ride falls somewhere between a scientists curiosity and a child who just unwrapped a new toy. He lovingly describes every feature, from the high-tech braking system that actually stores energy to the GPS navigation system to how the glove compartment opens. And he still grins as he guns it to 60 mph with ease.

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Republican lawmaker in an electric car, and loving it