Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant is scheduled to close in 2019, and there are many who would like to see it shut down sooner. But that leaves a significant gap in southern New England’s energy supply. And, love it or hate it, nuclear power is a source of electricity with a much smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuels. The public debate about the role of nuclear power often pits climate change concerns against the safety records of existing power plants. But those facilities are, quite frankly, old