LEWISTON - A Republican who used to be a global warming skeptic will talk about the need for everyone to act, and what Maine is doing, at Bates College tonight.

Ray Sirois, 47, formerly of Lewiston who now lives in Harrison, said last year he thought the warning about global warming "was a bunch of crap."

Sirois said he changed his mind after researching science from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and saw Al Gore's film, "Inconvenient Truth."

He applied for Al Gore's "Climate Project" training in Tennessee, was accepted, and attended in January. After that Sirois began speaking publicly on climate change.

Part of his talk tonight will be about what Maine is doing to reduce global warming pollution from power plants and the proposed regional greenhouse gas initiative legislation. The legislation would make it more expensive for power plants to emit pollution that contributes to global warming, Sirois said Tuesday.

He stressed that he is not a politician or a professional speaker. In his day job he's the information technology manager at Wright-Pierce in Topsham.

His talk is from 7 to 8:30 tonight in Room 204 of the Carnegie Science Building, 44 Campus Ave., Bates College. The public is invited.

WHAT: Talk on global warming

WHEN: 7 to 8:30 tonight

WHERE: Room 204, Carnegie Science Hall, Bates College, 44 Campus Ave., Lewiston

COST: Free, open to the public