Jan. 27, 2006 — Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. announced that Northshore Mining Co., Silver Bay, Minnesota, is the recipient of its most recent President Award for Safety.

The Northshore mine has been the recipient of Cliffs’ President Award for Safety the past five consecutive years, six out of eight years overall. Northshore achieved the award with a reportable incident rate of 1.34 in 2005, an improvement over 2004 safety performance, and a 72% improvement since the inception of the company’s current safety program in 1998. Northshore Mining Co.’s plant operations also qualified for the Sentinels of Safety Award in 2005.

John S. Brinzo, Cliffs’ Chairman and CEO, said, “Northshore’s commitment and proactive approach to safety is driving the bottom-line results of its safety program. Safety is a company-wide objective that has resulted in Cliffs being an industry leader in safety performance. Northshore’s persistent pursuit of best practices in safety is a testament to Cliffs’ stated goal of eliminating operational hazards.”

Past recipients of Cliffs’ President’s Award for Safety include: Empire Mine, Palmer, Mich. (1998); Northshore Mine (1999); LTV Steel Mining Co., Hoyt Lakes, Minn. (2000); and Northshore Mine (2001 through 2005). Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is the largest producer of iron ore pellets in North America, selling the majority of its pellets to integrated steel companies in the United States and Canada. Cleveland-Cliffs operates a total of six iron ore mines located in Michigan, Minnesota and Eastern Canada. The company is majority owner of Portman Limited, the third-largest iron ore mining company in Australia, serving the Asian iron ore markets with direct-shipping fines and lump ore.

Northshore Mining Co. is wholly owned by Cleveland-Cliffs.