The Environmental Protection Agency is cleaning up its image After years of turmoil, the EPA looks for a fresh start Share this story Like many of his colleagues at the Environmental Protection Agency, Justin Chen says he wanted “a job with a purpose.” So in 2015, Chen left his post as an environmental engineer for a consulting firm to take on a similar role at the EPA. “I always wanted to see what it was like to be on the regulatory side, as opposed to working on behalf of the people that were regulated,” Chen says. “A job with a purpose.”