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CLEVELAND, April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (Paris: CLF) announced today it has been ranked No. 34 out of 100 leading companies in the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Index (CII). The Maplecroft CII is a family of three indexes calculated by Bloomberg that ranks the top-performing U.S.-based companies in terms of climate-related innovation and carbon management programs. The indexes include: the Maplecroft CII Benchmark (Bloomberg: CICOMP), the Maplecroft CII Leaders (Bloomberg: CII), and the Maplecroft CII US 100 (Bloomberg: CI100). In addition to the ranking, Cliffs was also the top performer within the iron and steel subsector group.

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Kelly Tompkins, Cliffs' executive vice president, legal, government affairs and sustainability, said, "Being recognized as a climate innovation leader acknowledges Cliffs' comprehensive greenhouse gas planning and our commitment to environmental stewardship. Environmental stewardship is a critical element of our overall sustainability program, and we will continue to embed many more sustainable practices throughout our business that impact a wide range of stakeholders."

To be considered and ranked within the Maplecroft CII, companies must display superior work in the areas of management, mitigation, emission reduction, adaptation, and a strong focus on innovation. The Maplecroft CII was compiled through a climate screen of all U.S. companies ($1 billion or more in market capitalization) against more than 100 different criteria. Stocks were rated using various public disclosures, and supported by third-party stakeholder viewpoints and direct engagement with the companies. Maplecroft's global risk indices were also used to understand wider climate change risk exposures across the entire company.

About Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. is an international mining and natural resources company. A member of the S&P 500 Index, the Company is a major global iron ore producer and a significant producer of high- and low-volatile metallurgical coal. Cliffs' strategy is to continually achieve greater scale and diversification in the mining industry through a focus on serving the world's largest and fastest growing steel markets. Driven by the core values of social, environmental and capital stewardship, Cliffs associates across the globe endeavor to provide all stakeholders operating and financial transparency.

The Company is organized through a global commercial group responsible for sales and delivery of Cliffs products and a global operations group responsible for the production of the minerals the Company markets. Cliffs operates iron ore and coal mines in North America and two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia. The Company also has a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine in Queensland, Australia. In addition, Cliffs has a major chromite project, in the pre-feasibility stage of development, located in Ontario, Canada.

News releases and other information on the Company are available on the Internet at:

SOURCE Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.