Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman has selected Matt Johnston as the county’s new environmental policy specialist.

Johnston will begin his new job Feb. 11, and he will work with “county agencies, nonprofit organizations and the business community to develop policies that protect our natural resources, ensure responsible development, promote clean energy and help meet the challenges of a changing climate,” according to an announcement from the county.

Johnston currently works as a senior policy analyst for the Chesapeake Bay Program. He said he will be listening to environmental protection ideas and policies and passing along recommendations to the county executive. He will be paid $85,000 a year.

“We have to sit down and assess the situation,” Johnston said. “I’m really excited to learn all the things our county workers are already doing to protect the environment, and then take a look at how we can do those things a lot better. We have a lot to do to fulfill Steuart’s campaign agenda.”

Pittman announced his intentions to hire an environmental policy specialist during his inauguration speech. He called the position “director” instead of specialist in his speech and said it would be the first time the county created that position.

The name change did not influence the role of the position, Pittman said.

“There were a lot of really good candidates for this job,” Pittman said. “We need somebody who is going to keep us on task. He will be out with many environmental organizations, river keepers and all the community organizations in this county that work on watershed issues and hearing their ideas and helping guide their work and helping coordinate them.”

The county executive has promised to pursue “no net loss” in its forest conservation and to strengthen sediment and erosion laws. No net loss means every acre of tree cut down is replaced. County law requires developers to replace some of the trees cut down, depending on the location of the clearing.

County Council has begun its work on environmental policy with Councilwoman Lisa Brannigan Rodvien, an Annapolis Democrat, introducing legislation that would ban polystyrene containers, commonly used as take-out containers from restaurants.

The previous council passed legislation banning those containers, but then County Executive Steve Schuh vetoed the bill and called it government overreach. Supporters of the bill argued the containers don’t degrade and are harmful to the environment and wildlife.

A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for Feb. 19.