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Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

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BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] Ìý
BUSINESS SUMMARY AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
NOTE 1 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with SEC rules and regulations and, in the opinion of management, include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly, the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Management bases its estimates on various assumptions and historical experience, which are believed to be reasonable; however, due to the inherent nature of estimates, actual results may differ significantly due to changed conditions or assumptions. The results of operations for the three months ended MarchÌý31, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ended DecemberÌý31, 2013 or any other future period. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended DecemberÌý31, 2012.
Basis of Consolidation
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, including the following operations:
Name
Ìý
Location
Ìý
Ownership Interest
Ìý
Operation
Northshore
Ìý
Minnesota
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
United Taconite
Ìý
Minnesota
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
Wabush
Ìý
Newfoundland and Labrador/Quebec, Canada
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
Bloom Lake
Ìý
Quebec, Canada
Ìý
75.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
Tilden
Ìý
Michigan
Ìý
85.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
Empire
Ìý
Michigan
Ìý
79.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
Koolyanobbing
Ìý
Western Australia
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Iron Ore
Pinnacle
Ìý
West Virginia
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Coal
Oak Grove
Ìý
Alabama
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Coal
CLCC
Ìý
West Virginia
Ìý
100.0%
Ìý
Coal

Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated upon consolidation.
Also included in our consolidated results are Cliffs Chromite Ontario Inc. and Cliffs Chromite Far North Inc. Cliffs Chromite Ontario, Inc. holds a 100 percent interest in each of the Black Label and Black Thor chromite deposits and, together with Cliffs Chromite Far North Inc., a 70 percent interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit, all located in northern Ontario, Canada.
Equity Method Investments
Investments in unconsolidated ventures that we have the ability to exercise significant influence over, but not control, are accounted for under the equity method. The following table presents the detail of our investments in unconsolidated ventures and where those investments are classified in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position as of MarchÌý31, 2013 and DecemberÌý31, 2012. Parentheses indicate a net liability.
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
(In Millions)
Investment
Ìý
Classification
Ìý
Accounting
Method
Ìý
Interest
Percentage
Ìý
MarchÌý31, 2013
Ìý
DecemberÌý31, 2012
´¡³¾²¹±èá
Ìý
Investments in ventures
Ìý
Equity Method
Ìý
30
Ìý
$
96.9

Ìý
$
101.9

Cockatoo
Ìý
Other liabilities
Ìý
Equity Method
Ìý
50
Ìý
(25.4
)
Ìý
(25.3
)
Hibbing
Ìý
Investments in ventures (1)
Ìý
Equity Method
Ìý
23
Ìý
1.4

Ìý
(2.1
)
Other
Ìý
Investments in ventures
Ìý
Equity Method
Ìý
Various
Ìý
33.5

Ìý
33.9

Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
$
106.4

Ìý
$
108.4

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(1)ÌýÌýÌýÌý At December 31, 2012 the classification for Hibbing was Other liabilities.
´¡³¾²¹±èá
On December 27, 2012, our board of directors authorized the sale of our 30 percent interest in ´¡³¾²¹±èá. Together with Anglo American plc., we will be selling our respective interest in a 100 percent sale transaction to a single entity. On March 28, 2013, an unknown event caused the Santana port shiploader to collapse into the Amazon river, preventing further ship loading by the mine operator, Anglo American. The investigation into the root cause of the collapse is ongoing as Anglo American develops a business continuation plan. The previously announced sale transaction remains in place, but without a projected close date until the port situation is clarified.
Cockatoo Island
In August 2011, we entered into a term sheet with our joint venture partner, HWE Cockatoo Pty Ltd., to sell our beneficial interest in the mining tenements and certain infrastructure of Cockatoo Island to Pluton Resources. On July 31, 2012, the parties entered into a definitive asset sale agreement, which was amended on August 31, 2012. On September 7, 2012, the closing date, Pluton Resources paid as consideration under the asset sale agreement, a nominal sum of AUD $4.00 and assumed ownership of the assets and responsibility for the environmental rehabilitation obligations and other assumed liabilities not inherently attached to the tenements acquired. With respect to those rehabilitation obligations and assumed liabilities that are inherently attached to the tenements, those obligations and liabilities will automatically transfer to, and be assumed by, Pluton Resources upon registration of each of the tenements in Pluton Resources' name. Registration of the tenements in Pluton Resources' name cannot occur until the requisite bonds and stamped transfer forms are lodged by Pluton Resources with the Department of Mining and Petroleum. This process is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2013. As of MarchÌý31, 2013, our portion of the current estimated cost of the rehabilitation is approximately $24 million and will be extinguished upon registration of the tenements in Pluton Resources' name. Cliffs and HWE Cockatoo Pty Ltd. completed the current stage of mining, Stage 3, at Cockatoo Island on September 30, 2012.
Discontinued Operations
On July 10, 2012, we entered into a definitive share and asset sale agreement to sell our 45 percent economic interest in the Sonoma joint venture coal mine located in Queensland, Australia. Upon completion of the transaction on November 12, 2012, we collected approximately AUD $141.0 million in net cash proceeds. The assets sold included our interests in the Sonoma mine along with our ownership of the affiliated washplant and are reflected as Assets held for sale and Liabilities held for sale in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position and reflected the results of operations as discontinued operations in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations for periods presented prior to completion of the sale. The Sonoma operations previously were included in Other within our reportable segments.
Significant Accounting Policies
A detailed description of our significant accounting policies can be found in the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended DecemberÌý31, 2012, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. The significant accounting policies requiring updates have been included within the disclosures below.
Other Intangible Assets and Liabilities
Other intangible assets are subject to periodic amortization on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives or on a units of production basis as follows:
Intangible Assets
Ìý
Basis
Ìý
Useful Life (years)
Permits - Asia Pacific Iron Ore
Ìý
Units of production
Ìý
Life of mine
Permits - All Other
Ìý
Straight line
Ìý
15 - 40
Utility contracts
Ìý
Straight line
Ìý
5
Leases - North American Coal
Ìý
Units of production
Ìý
Life of mine
Leases - All Other
Ìý
Straight line
Ìý
4.5 - 17.5

Earnings Per Share
We present both basic and diluted earnings per share amounts. Basic earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing Net Income Attributable to Cliffs Shareholders less any paid or declared but unpaid dividends on our depositary shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period presented. Diluted earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing Net Income Attributable to Cliffs Shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares, common share equivalents under stock plans using the treasury stock method and the number of common shares that would be issued under an assumed conversion of our outstanding depositary shares, each representing a 1/40th interest in a share of our Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock, Class A, under the if-converted method. Our outstanding depositary shares are convertible into common shares based on the volume weighted average of closing prices of our common stock over the 20 consecutive trading day period ending on the third day immediately preceding the end of the reporting period. Common share equivalents are excluded from EPS computations in the periods in which they have an anti-dilutive effect. See NOTE 18 - EARNINGS PER SHARE for further information.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2013, the FASB amended the guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income in order to improve the reporting of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendment does not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in financial statements. Rather, it requires the entity to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income but only if the amount being reclassified is required under GAAP to be reclassified in its entirety to net income in the same reporting period. For other amounts that are not required under GAAP to be reclassified in their entirety to net income, an entity is required to cross-reference to other disclosures required under GAAP that provide additional detail about those amounts. The new guidance is effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. We adopted the provisions of guidance required for the period beginning January 1, 2013. Refer to NOTE 16 - SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY for further information.