UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

ITEM 1. REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS.

The Annual Report to Stockholders is filed herewith.

Annual Report

ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc.
(CEM)

Fund objective

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide a high level of total return with an emphasis on cash distributions.

What’s inside

Dear Shareholder,

We are pleased to provide the annual report of ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. for the twelve-month reporting period ended November 30, 2012. Please read on for a detailed look at prevailing economic and market conditions during the Fund’s reporting period and to learn how those conditions have affected Fund performance.

Recent regulations adopted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) require operators of registered investment companies, including closed-end funds, to register as “commodity pool operators” unless the fund limits its investments in commodity interests. Effective December 31, 2012, your Fund’s manager has claimed the exclusion from the definition of “commodity pool operator.” More information about the CFTC rules and their effect on the Fund is included later in this report on page 25.

As always, we remain committed to providing you with excellent service and a full spectrum of investment choices. We also remain committed to supplementing the support you receive from your financial advisor. One way we accomplish this is through our website, www.lmcef.com. Here you can gain immediate access to market and investment information, including:

·      Fund prices and performance,

·      Market insights and commentaries from our portfolio managers, and

·      A host of educational resources.

We look forward to helping you meet your financial goals.

Sincerely,

R. Jay Gerken, CFA

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

December 28, 2012

Investment commentary

Economic review

While the U.S. economy continued to grow over the twelve months ended November 30, 2012, it did so at an uneven pace. U.S. gross domestic product (“GDP”)i growth, as reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, was 4.1% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Economic growth in the U.S. then decelerated, as first quarter 2012 GDP growth was 2.0%. This was primarily due to less robust private inventory and non-residential fixed investments. The economy slowed further in the second quarter, as GDP growth was a tepid 1.3%. GDP growth then moved to 3.1% in the third quarter. The increase was partially due to increased private inventory and investment, higher federal government spending and a deceleration in imports.

The U.S. job market remained weak. While there was some improvement during the reporting period, unemployment remained elevated. When the reporting period began, unemployment, as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, was 8.5%. Unemployment then generally declined and was 8.1% in April 2012, the lowest rate since January 2009, but still high by historical standards. The unemployment rate then rose to 8.3% in July, before falling to 7.8% in September and ending the reporting period at 7.7% in November. However, the number of longer-term unemployed remained high, as roughly 40% of the 12 million people without a job have been out of work for more than six months.

Meanwhile, the housing market brightened, as sales have started to improve of late and home prices continued to rebound. According to the National Association of Realtors (“NAR”), existing-home sales rose 5.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis in November 2012 versus the previous month and they were 14.5% higher than in November 2011. In addition, the NAR reported that the median existing-home price for all housing types was $180,600 in November 2012, up 10.1% from November 2011. This marked the ninth consecutive month that home prices rose compared to the same period a year earlier. Furthermore, the inventory of homes available for sale fell 3.8% in November, which represents a 4.8 month supply at the current sales pace. This represents the lowest inventory since September 2005.

The manufacturing sector appeared to overcome a soft patch that occurred in the summer of 2012 as it improved toward the end of the reporting period, only to experience another setback in November 2012. Based on the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI (“PMI”)ii, after expanding 34 consecutive months, the PMI fell to 49.7 in June 2012, which represented the first contraction in the manufacturing sector since July 2009 (a reading below 50 indicates a contraction, whereas a reading above 50 indicates an expansion). Manufacturing continued to contract in July and August before ticking up to 51.5 in September and 51.7 in October. However, the PMI fell back to contraction territory with a reading of 49.5 in November, its lowest level since July 2009.

The Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”)iii took a number of actions as it sought to meet its dual mandate of fostering maximum employment and price stability. As has been the case since December 2008, the Fed kept the federal funds rateiv at a historically low range between zero and 0.25%. In September 2011, prior to the beginning of the reporting period, the Fed announced its intention to purchase

Investment commentary (cont’d)

$400 billion of longer-term Treasury securities and to sell an equal amount of shorter-term Treasury securities by June 2012 (often referred to as “Operation Twist”). In January 2012, the Fed extended the period it expects to keep rates on hold until at least through late 2014. Operation Twist was then extended in June 2012 until the end of the year. In September the Fed announced a third round of quantitative easing, which involves purchasing $40 billion each month of agency mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) on an open-end basis. In addition, the Fed said that Operation Twist would continue and that it will keep the federal funds rate on hold until at least mid-2015. Finally, at its meeting in December, after the reporting period ended, the Fed announced that it would continue purchasing $40 billion per month of agency MBS, as well as initially purchasing $45 billion a month of longer-term Treasuries. The Fed also said that it would keep the federal funds rate on hold “...as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6.5%, inflation between one and two years ahead is projected to be no more than a half percentage point above the Committee’s 2.0% longer-run goal, and longer-term inflation expectations continue to be well anchored.”

As always, thank you for your confidence in our stewardship of your assets.

Sincerely,

R. Jay Gerken, CFA

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

December 28, 2012

All investments are subject to risk including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

i                     Gross domestic product (“GDP”) is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.

ii                  The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI is based on a survey of purchasing executives who buy the raw materials for manufacturing at more than 350 companies. It offers an early reading on the health of the manufacturing sector.

iii               The Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”) is responsible for the formulation of policies designed to promote economic growth, full employment, stable prices and a sustainable pattern of international trade and payments.

iv                The federal funds rate is the rate charged by one depository institution on an overnight sale of immediately available funds (balances at the Federal Reserve) to another depository institution; the rate may vary from depository institution to depository institution and from day to day.

Fund overview

Q. What is the Fund’s investment strategy?

A. The Fund’s investment objective is to provide a high level of total return with an emphasis on cash distributions. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) in the Energy sector. The Fund considers an entity to be within the Energy sector if it derives at least 50% of its revenues from the business of exploring, developing, producing, gathering, transporting, processing, storing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing natural gas, natural gas liquids (including propane), crude oil, refined petroleum products or coal.

We focus primarily on energy-related MLPs with long-lived assets and predictable cash flows, using a bottom-up process to find MLPs that we believe offer sustainable and predictable distributions, as well as relatively low direct commodity exposure. We also seek out companies with the potential to grow their businesses, and thereby their distributions, over time, evaluating companies based on their geographic footprints, the markets and types of assets they invest in, their balance sheet strength and their ability to make accretive acquisitions.

ClearBridge Investments, LLC (formerly ClearBridge Advisors, LLC) (“ClearBridge”) is the Fund’s subadviser. The portfolio managers primarily responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the Fund are Richard A. Freeman, Michael Clarfeld, CFA, Chris Eades, and Peter Vanderlee, CFA.

Q. What were the overall market conditions during the Fund’s reporting period?

A. The reporting period began amid significant stock market volatility and weakness, stemming largely from uncertainty over the state of the European sovereign debt crisis and the failure of the U.S. Congressional “super committee” to produce a deficit reduction plan. However, the start of the new calendar year saw stocks rise significantly, with both the Dow Jones Industrial Average (“DJIA”)i and the S&P 500 Indexii making strong advances in the first calendar quarter of 2012. The key catalysts for the rise were the European Central Bank’s (“ECB”) introduction of the Long-Term Refinancing Operations (“LTRO”) in December 2011, which alleviated much of the concern about a potential European bank liquidity crisis and financial contagion, and modest improvement seen in U.S. economic data.

As the period progressed, both the domestic economic recovery and the bull market for equities managed to continue despite weaker corporate earnings guidance and slowing economic growth in both the U.S. and China. Increasingly, stock market performance was correlated with central bank activity, as additional policy easing actions taken by the ECB and the Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”)iii sparked solid stock market gains. Over the summer and fall, uncertainty over the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election and fears of the “fiscal cliff” remained in the forefront, but were not enough to stop the market’s rise to multi-year highs in September and October. The market dipped following President Obama’s re-election in early

Fund overview (cont’d)

November, but rapidly recovered to end the period with significant gains.

Energy MLP stocks slightly lagged the broader U.S. equity market over the reporting period. However, the sector still posted solid gains. Of importance, energy MLP fundamentals remain robust. U.S. energy production continued to grow at a robust pace, with crude oil production up roughly 14% over the prior year. We expect that increasing production volumes will continue to drive a large scale build-out of the infrastructure necessary to transport the incremental production from the wellhead to the end user. This backlog of organic growth projects also continues to drive distribution growth for holders of energy MLP stocks.

With stock valuations within their normalized range and with accelerating distribution growth, we continue to view the outlook for MLPs quite favorably — particularly in a world of low yields and heightened global economic uncertainty. Relative to common stocks and fixed-income securities, we believe MLPs remain uniquely positioned — offering compelling yields, visible growth in yield, limited interest rate cycle sensitivity, and limited economic cycle sensitivity. In our view, legislative, regulatory and capital markets risks remain low.

Q. How did we respond to these changing market conditions?

A. We have been very consistent in our investment approach and our investment philosophy remains unchanged. We have continued to focus on well capitalized companies, with what we believe are strong asset bases, fee-based revenue streams and attractive partnership structures that are well positioned for growth. We look for MLPs with operations focused on energy infrastructure. We prefer fee-based business models often backed by long-term contracts. We also intentionally limit direct commodity price exposure as we seek sustainable and visible cash flow streams. During times of market dislocation, we have endeavored to take advantage of weak markets to add to our favorite positions and upgrade our portfolio where possible.

We focus our investments in companies that we believe are best positioned to take advantage of the dynamic shifts we see going on in the U.S. energy market. We expect oil and gas production from domestic shale sources to continue to grow at a high rate and have been focused on those MLPs we think are best positioned to capitalize on the anticipated resulting infrastructure growth.

Performance review

For the twelve months ended November 30, 2012, ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. returned 16.74% based on its net asset value (“NAV”)iv and 13.30% based on its New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) market price per share. The Lipper Sector Equity Closed-End Funds Category Averagev returned 10.36% over the same time frame. Please note that Lipper performance returns are based on each fund’s NAV.

During the twelve-month period, the Fund made distributions to shareholders totaling $1.47 per share, all of which will be treated for tax purposes as a return of capital. The performance table shows the Fund’s twelve-month total return based on its NAV and market price as of November 30, 2012. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Performance Snapshot as of November 30, 2012

All figures represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future results.

*    Total returns are based on changes in NAV or market price, respectively.

†             Total return assumes the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, at NAV. Prior to January 1, 2012, total return assumed the reinvestment of all distributions in additional shares in accordance with the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

‡            Total return assumes the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, in additional shares in accordance with the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

Q. What were the leading contributors to performance?

A. In terms of individual Fund holdings, leading contributors to performance for the period included Energy sector positions in Plains All American Pipeline LP and, Magellan Midstream Partners LP, both in the Liquid Transportation & Storage sub-sector, Energy Transfer Equity LP in the Natural Gas Transportation & Storage sub-sector, Enterprise Products Partners LP in the Diversified Energy Infrastructure sub-sector and Access Midstream Partners LP, in the Gathering/Processing sub-sector.

Q. What were the leading detractors from performance?

A. In terms of individual Fund holdings, leading detractors from performance for the period included Energy sector positions in Buckeye Partners LP in the Liquids Transportation & Storage sub-sector, Williams Partners LP, Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, and DCP Midstream Partners LP, all in the Gathering/Processing sub-sector, and Inergy LP in the Propane sub-sector.

Q. Were there any significant changes to the Fund during the reporting period?

A. During the reporting period, we established new Fund positions in Kinder Morgan Management LLC, Spectra Energy Partners LP and PVR Partners LP, while we closed an existing position in Inergy LP.

Looking for additional information?

The Fund is traded under the symbol “CEM” and its closing market price is available in most newspapers under the NYSE listings. The daily NAV is available on-line under the symbol “XCEMX” on most financial websites. Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal’s Monday edition both carry closed-end fund tables that provide additional information. In addition, the Fund issues a quarterly press release that can be found on most major financial websites as well as www.lmcef.com.

In a continuing effort to provide information concerning the Fund, shareholders may call 1-888-777-0102 (toll free), Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, for the Fund’s current NAV, market price and other information.

Thank you for your investment in ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. As always, we appreciate that you have chosen us to manage your assets and we remain focused on achieving the Fund’s investment goals.

Fund overview (cont’d)

Sincerely,

Michael Clarfeld, CFA

Portfolio Manager
ClearBridge Investments, LLC

Chris Eades

Portfolio Manager
ClearBridge Investments, LLC

Richard A. Freeman

Portfolio Manager
ClearBridge Investments, LLC

Peter Vanderlee, CFA

Portfolio Manager
ClearBridge Investments, LLC

December 20, 2012

RISKS: The Fund’s concentration of investments in energy-related MLPs subjects it to the risks of investing in MLPs and the energy sector, including the risks of declines in energy and commodity prices, decreases in energy demand, adverse weather conditions, natural or other disasters, changes in government regulation, and changes in tax laws. Leverage may result in greater volatility of NAV and the market price of common shares and increases a shareholder’s risk of loss. The Fund may make significant investments in derivative instruments. Derivative instruments can be illiquid, may disproportionately increase losses and have a potentially large impact on Fund performance.

Portfolio holdings and breakdowns are as of November 30, 2012 and are subject to change and may not be representative of the portfolio managers’ current or future investments. The Fund’s top ten holdings (as a percentage of net assets) as of November 30, 2012 were: Enterprise Products Partners LP (11.5%), Plains All American Pipeline LP (10.3%), Magellan Midstream Partners LP (9.7%), Energy Transfer Equity LP (9.5%), Kinder Morgan Management LLC (8.8%), Linn Energy LLC (8.7%), Access Midstream Partners LP (7.8%), MarkWest Energy Partners LP (6.3%), Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP (5.9%) and El Paso Pipeline Partners LP (5.7%). Please refer to pages 7 through 8 for a list and percentage breakdown of the Fund’s holdings.

The mention of sector breakdowns is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. The information provided regarding such sectors is not a sufficient basis upon which to make an investment decision. Investors seeking financial advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in any securities or investment strategies discussed should consult their financial professional. The Fund’s top five sector holdings (as a percentage of net assets) as of November 30, 2012 were: Diversified Energy Infrastructure (46.0%), Liquids Transportation & Storage (38.1%), Gathering/Processing (33.1%), Natural Gas Transportation & Storage (11.5%) and Exploration & Production (8.7%). The Fund’s portfolio composition is subject to change at any time.

All investments are subject to risk including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All index performance reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. Please note that an investor cannot invest directly in an index.

The information provided is not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Views expressed may differ from those of the firm as a whole.

i                The Dow Jones Industrial Average (“DJIA”) is a widely followed measurement of the stock market. The average is comprised of thirty stocks that represent leading companies in major industries. These stocks, widely held by both individual and institutional investors, are considered to be all blue-chip companies.

ii             The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 stocks and is generally representative of the performance of larger companies in the U.S.

iii          The Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”) is responsible for the formulation of policies designed to promote economic growth, full employment, stable prices and a sustainable pattern of international trade and payments.

iv           Net asset value (“NAV”) is calculated by subtracting total liabilities and outstanding preferred stock (if any) from the closing value of all securities held by the Fund (plus all other assets) and dividing the result (total investments) by the total number of the common shares outstanding. The NAV fluctuates with changes in the market prices of securities in which the Fund has invested. However, the price at which an investor may buy or sell shares of the Fund is the Fund’s market price as determined by supply of and demand for the Fund’s shares.

v              Lipper, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reuters, provides independent insight on global collective investments. Returns are based on the twelve-month period ended November 30, 2012, including the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, if any, calculated among the 44 funds in the Fund’s Lipper category.

Fund at a glance† (unaudited)

Investment breakdown (%) as a percent of total investments

†            The bar graph above represents the composition of the Fund’s investments as of November 30, 2012 and November 30, 2011. The Fund is actively managed. As a result, the composition of the Fund’s investments is subject to change at any time.

Schedule of investments

November 30, 2012

ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc.

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Schedule of investments (cont’d)

November 30, 2012

ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc.

#  Aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes is $1,391,694,778.

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Statement of assets and liabilities

November 30, 2012

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Statement of operations

For the Year Ended November 30, 2012

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Statements of changes in net assets

†  Net offering costs and sales charges of $394,930.

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Statement of Cash Flows

For the Year Ended November 30, 2012

* Included in operating expenses is cash of $3,251,178 and $282,546 paid for interest and commitment fees on borrowings and taxes net of refunds, if any, respectively.

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Financial highlights

For a share of capital stock outstanding throughout each year ended November 30, unless otherwise noted:

See Notes to Financial Statements.

Notes to financial statements

1. Organization and significant accounting policies

ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. (the “Fund”) was incorporated in Maryland on March 31, 2010 and is registered as a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Board of Directors authorized 100 million shares of $0.001 par value common stock. The Fund’s investment objective is to provide a high level of total return with an emphasis on cash distributions. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) in the energy sector. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its managed assets in MLPs in the energy sector (the “80% policy”). For purposes of the 80% policy, the Fund considers investments in MLPs to include investments that offer economic exposure to public and private MLPs in the form of equity securities of MLPs, securities of entities holding primarily general partner or managing member interests in MLPs, securities that are derivatives of interests in MLPs, including I-Shares, and debt securities of MLPs. Entities in the energy sector are engaged in the business of exploring, developing, producing, gathering, transporting, processing, storing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids (including propane), crude oil, refined petroleum products or coal.

The following are significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund and are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Estimates and assumptions are required to be made regarding assets, liabilities and changes in net assets resulting from operations when financial statements are prepared. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining these estimates could cause actual results to differ. Subsequent events have been evaluated through the date the financial statements were issued.

(a) Investment valuation. Equity securities for which market quotations are available are valued at the last reported sales price or official closing price on the primary market or exchange on which they trade. The valuations for fixed income securities (which may include, but are not limited to, corporate, government, municipal, mortgage-backed, collateralized mortgage obligations and asset-backed securities) and certain derivative instruments are typically the prices supplied by independent third party pricing services, which may use market prices or broker/dealer quotations or a variety of valuation techniques and methodologies. The independent third party pricing services use inputs that are observable such as issuer details, interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, credit risks/spreads, default rates and quoted prices for similar securities. Short-term fixed income securities that will mature in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, unless it is determined that using this method would not reflect an investment’s fair value. If independent third party pricing services are unable to supply prices for a

portfolio investment, or if the prices supplied are deemed by the manager to be unreliable, the market price may be determined by the manager using quotations from one or more broker/dealers or at the transaction price if the security has recently been purchased and no value has yet been obtained from a pricing service or pricing broker. When reliable prices are not readily available, such as when the value of a security has been significantly affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, but before the Fund calculates its net asset value, the Fund values these securities as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors is responsible for the valuation process and has delegated the supervision of the daily valuation process to the Legg Mason North American Fund Valuation Committee (the “Valuation Committee”). The Valuation Committee, pursuant to the policies adopted by the Board of Directors, is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the Fund’s pricing policies, and reporting to the Board of Directors. When determining the reliability of third party pricing information for investments owned by the Fund, the Valuation Committee, among other things, conducts due diligence reviews of pricing vendors, monitors the daily change in prices and reviews transactions among market participants.

The Valuation Committee will consider pricing methodologies it deems relevant and appropriate when making fair value determinations. Examples of possible methodologies include, but are not limited to, multiple of earnings; discount from market of a similar freely traded security; discounted cash-flow analysis; book value or a multiple thereof; risk premium/yield analysis; yield to maturity; and/or fundamental investment analysis. The Valuation Committee will also consider factors it deems relevant and appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances. Examples of possible factors include, but are not limited to, the type of security; the issuer’s financial statements; the purchase price of the security; the discount from market value of unrestricted securities of the same class at the time of purchase; analysts’ research and observations from financial institutions; information regarding any transactions or offers with respect to the security; the existence of merger proposals or tender offers affecting the security; the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies; and the existence of a shelf registration for restricted securities.

For each portfolio security that has been fair valued pursuant to the policies adopted by the Board of Directors, the fair value price is compared against the last available and next available market quotations. The Valuation Committee reviews the results of such back testing monthly and fair valuation occurrences are reported to the Board of Directors quarterly.

The Fund uses valuation techniques to measure fair value that are consistent with the market approach and/or income approach, depending on the type of security and the particular circumstance. The market approach uses prices

Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable securities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to discount estimated future cash flows to present value.

GAAP establishes a disclosure hierarchy that categorizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to value assets and liabilities at measurement date. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

·          Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

·          Level 2 — other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

·          Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets carried at fair value:

†  See Schedule of Investments for additional detailed categorizations.

(b) Repurchase agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with institutions that its investment adviser has determined are creditworthy. Each repurchase agreement is recorded at cost. Under the terms of a typical repurchase agreement, the Fund acquires a debt security subject to an obligation of the seller to repurchase, and of the Fund to resell, the security at an agreed-upon price and time, thereby determining the yield during the Fund’s holding period. When entering into repurchase agreements, it is the Fund’s policy that its custodian or a third party custodian, acting on the Fund’s behalf, take possession of the underlying collateral securities, the market value of which, at all times, at least equals the principal amount of the repurchase transaction, including accrued interest. To the extent that any repurchase transaction maturity exceeds one business day, the value of the collateral is marked-to-market and measured against the value of the agreement in an effort to ensure the adequacy of the collateral. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund generally has the right to use the collateral to satisfy the terms of the repurchase transaction. However, if the market value of the collateral declines during the period in which the Fund seeks to assert its rights or if

bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization of the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or limited.

(c) Net asset value. The Fund determines the net asset value of its common stock on each day the NYSE is open for business, as of the close of the customary trading session (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time), or any earlier closing time that day. The Fund determines the net asset value per share of common stock by dividing the value of the Fund’s securities, cash and other assets (including interest accrued but not collected) less all its liabilities (including accrued expenses, borrowings and interest payables), net of income taxes, by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

(d) Master limited partnerships. Entities commonly referred to as “MLPs” are generally organized under state law as limited partnerships or limited liability companies. The Fund intends to primarily invest in MLPs receiving partnership taxation treatment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), and whose interests or “units” are traded on securities exchanges like shares of corporate stock. To be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an MLP whose units are traded on a securities exchange must receive at least 90% of its income from qualifying sources such as interest, dividends, real estate rents, gain from the sale or disposition of real property, income and gain from mineral or natural resources activities, income and gain from the transportation or storage of certain fuels, and, in certain circumstances, income and gain from commodities or futures, forwards and options with respect to commodities. Mineral or natural resources activities include exploration, development, production, processing, mining, refining, marketing and transportation (including pipelines) of oil and gas, minerals, geothermal energy, fertilizer, timber or industrial source carbon dioxide. An MLP consists of a general partner and limited partners (or in the case of MLPs organized as limited liability companies, a managing member and members). The general partner or managing member typically controls the operations and management of the MLP and has an ownership stake in the partnership. The limited partners or members, through their ownership of limited partner or member interests, provide capital to the entity, are intended to have no role in the operation and management of the entity and receive cash distributions. The MLPs themselves generally do not pay U.S. federal income taxes. Thus, unlike investors in corporate securities, direct MLP investors are generally not subject to double taxation (i.e., corporate level tax and tax on corporate dividends). Currently, most MLPs operate in the energy and/or natural resources sector.

(e) Concentration risk. Concentration in the energy sector may present more risks than if the Fund were broadly diversified over numerous sectors of the economy. A downturn in the energy sector of the economy could have a larger impact on the Fund than on an investment company that does not concentrate in the sector. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the sector may lag the performance of other sectors or the broader market as a whole.

Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

(f) Return of capital estimates. Distributions received from the Fund’s investments in MLPs generally are comprised of income and return of capital. The Fund records investment income and return of capital based on estimates made at the time such distributions are received. Such estimates are based on historical information available from each MLP and other industry sources. These estimates may subsequently be revised based on information received from MLPs after their tax reporting periods are concluded.

For the year ended November 30, 2012, the Fund estimated that approximately 97.03% of the MLP distributions received would be treated as a return of capital. The Fund recorded as return of capital the amount of $120,667,030 of dividends and distributions received from its investments.

Additionally, the Fund recorded revisions to the return of capital estimates from the year ended November 30, 2011 in the amount of a $2,631,700 increase in dividends and distributions received from investments.

(g) Security transactions and investment income. Security transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis. Interest income, adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount, is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividend and distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The cost of investments sold is determined by use of the specific identification method. To the extent any issuer defaults or a credit event occurs that impacts the issuer, the Fund may halt any additional interest income accruals and consider the realizability of interest accrued up to the date of default or credit event.

(h) Distributions to shareholders. Distributions to common stockholders are declared and paid on a quarterly basis and are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The estimated characterization of the distributions paid to common stockholders will be either a dividend (ordinary income) or distribution (return of capital). This estimate is based on the Fund’s operating results during the period. The Fund anticipates that 100% of its current year distribution will be comprised of return of capital as a result of the tax character of cash distributions made by the MLPs.

(i) Compensating balance arrangements. The Fund has an arrangement with its custodian bank whereby a portion of the custodian’s fees is paid indirectly by credits earned on the Fund’s cash on deposit with the bank.

(j) Partnership accounting policy. The Fund records its pro rata share of the income (loss) and capital gains (losses), to the extent of distributions it has received, allocated from the underlying partnerships and accordingly adjusts the cost basis of the underlying partnerships for return of capital. These amounts are included in the Fund’s Statement of Operations.

(k) Federal and other taxes. The Fund, as a corporation, is obligated to pay federal and state income tax on its taxable income. The Fund invests its assets primarily in MLPs, which generally are treated as partnerships for

federal income tax purposes. As a limited partner in the MLPs, the Fund includes its allocable share of the MLP’s taxable income in computing its own taxable income. Deferred income taxes reflect (i) taxes on unrealized gains (losses), which are attributable to the temporary difference between fair market value and tax basis, (ii) the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes and (iii) the net tax benefit of accumulated net operating and capital losses. To the extent the Fund has a deferred tax asset, consideration is given as to whether a valuation allowance is required. The need to establish a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets is assessed periodically by the Fund based on the Income Tax Topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. In the assessment for a valuation allowance, consideration is given to all positive and negative evidence related to the realization of the deferred tax asset. This assessment considers, among other matters, the nature, frequency and severity of current and cumulative losses, forecasts of future profitability (which are highly dependent on future cash distributions from the Fund’s MLP holdings), the duration of statutory carryforward periods and the associated risk that operating and capital loss carryforwards may expire unused.

For all open tax years and for all major jurisdictions, management of the Fund has concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions that would require recognition in the financial statements. Furthermore, management of the Fund is also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months.

The Fund may rely to some extent on information provided by the MLPs, which may not necessarily be timely, to estimate taxable income allocable to the MLP units held in the portfolio and to estimate the associated deferred tax liability. Such estimates are made in good faith. From time to time, as new information becomes available, the Fund modifies its estimates or assumptions regarding the deferred tax liability.

The Fund’s policy is to classify interest and penalties associated with underpayment of federal and state income taxes, if any, as income tax expense on its Statement of Operations. The current and prior tax years remain open and subject to examination by tax jurisdictions.

2. Investment management agreement and other transactions with affiliates

Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”) is the Fund’s investment manager and ClearBridge Investments, LLC (formerly ClearBridge Advisors, LLC) (“ClearBridge”) is the Fund’s subadviser. LMPFA and ClearBridge are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”).

Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

Under the investment management agreement, the Fund pays an annual fee, paid monthly, in an amount equal to 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily managed assets.

LMPFA provides administrative and certain oversight services to the Fund. LMPFA delegates to the subadviser the day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund. For its services, LMPFA pays ClearBridge 70% of the net management fee it receives from the Fund.

All officers and one Director of the Fund are employees of Legg Mason or its affiliates and do not receive compensation from the Fund.

3. Investments

During the year ended November 30, 2012, the aggregate cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investments (excluding short-term investments) were as follows:

4. Derivative instruments and hedging activities

Financial Accounting Standards Board Codification Topic 815 requires enhanced disclosure about an entity’s derivative and hedging activities.

During the year ended November 30, 2012, the Fund did not invest in any derivative instruments.

5. Loan

The Fund has a 364-day revolving credit agreement with a financial institution, which allows the Fund to borrow up to an aggregate amount of $250,000,000. Unless renewed, the agreement will terminate on July 11, 2013. The Fund pays a commitment fee up to an annual rate of 0.15% on the unutilized portion of the loan commitment amount. The interest on the loan is calculated at variable rates based on the LIBOR, plus any applicable margin. Securities held by the Fund are subject to a lien, granted to the lender, to the extent of the borrowing outstanding and any additional expenses. The lender has equal access to the lien as the senior secured notes holder (See Note 6). At November 30, 2012, the Fund had $198,000,000 of borrowings outstanding per the current credit agreement.

Prior to July 12, 2012, the Fund had revolving credit agreements with two financial institutions, which allowed the Fund to borrow up to an aggregate amount of $775,000,000. These credit agreements were terminated on July 12, 2012.

Interest expense related to the loans for the year ended November 30, 2012 was $3,237,467. For the year ended November 30, 2012, the Fund incurred $33,388 in commitment fees. For the year ended November 30, 2012, the

average daily loan balance was $341,870,492 and the weighted average interest rate was 0.93%.

6. Senior secured notes

On July 12, 2012, the Fund completed a private placement of $267,000,000 of fixed — rate senior secured notes (the “Senior Notes”) and borrowed $210,000,000 under a new $250,000,000 secured revolving credit facility, as discussed in Note 5. Net proceeds from such offering and borrowings under the new credit facility were used to repay outstanding borrowings under two revolving credit facilities and make new portfolio investments, and for general corporate purposes. At November 30, 2012, the Fund had $267,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes outstanding. Interest expense related to the Senior Notes for the year ended November 30, 2012 was $4,068,921. Securities held by the Fund are subject to a lien, granted to the Senior Notes holder, to the extent of the borrowings outstanding and any additional expenses. The Senior Notes holder has equal access to the lien as the lender (See Note 5).

The table below summarizes the key terms of the offering.

7. Capital shares

During the year ended November 30, 2012, the Fund filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission authorizing the Fund to issue an additional 5,000,000 shares of common stock through an equity shelf offering. Under the equity shelf program, the Fund, subject to market conditions, may raise additional equity capital from time to time in varying amounts and offering methods at a net price at or above the Fund’s then-current net asset value per common share. Costs incurred by the Fund in connection with the shelf offering are recorded as a deferred charge which are amortized over the period such additional common shares are sold, not to exceed one year. For the period from March 28, 2012 through November 30, 2012, the Fund sold 1,138,680 shares of common stock and the proceeds from such sales were $25,893,984, net of offering costs and sales charges of $394,930.

8. Distributions subsequent to November 30, 2012

On January 17, 2013, the Fund’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly distribution of $0.380 per common share, payable on February 22, 2013 to shareholders of record on February 15, 2013.

Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

9. Income taxes

The Fund’s income tax provision consists of the following:

The Current Income Tax Benefit reflects certain adjustments made to the Fund’s net operating loss carrybacks. Deferred income taxes reflect (i) taxes on unrealized gains (losses), which are attributable to the difference between fair market value and tax basis, (ii) the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes and (iii) the net tax benefit of net operating losses.

Components of the Fund’s net deferred tax liability as of November 30, 2012 are as follows:

Total income taxes have been computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate of 35% plus a blended state income tax rate of 2.3%. The Fund applied this effective rate to net investment income, realized and unrealized gains on investments before taxes in computing its total income taxes. During the period the Fund’s combined federal and state income tax rate decreased from 37.4% to 37.3% due to changes in certain state tax jurisdictions. This decrease in the Fund’s tax rate resulted in $408,214 of additional income tax benefit and a corresponding effective tax rate of approximately 37.19% for the fiscal year.

At November 30, 2012, the Fund has Federal and state net operating loss carryforward of $127,250,794 (deferred tax asset of $47,464,546). Realization of the deferred tax asset related to the net operating loss carryforward is dependent, in part, on generating sufficient taxable income prior to expiration of the loss carryforwards.

If not utilized, $36,714,559 of the Federal net operating loss carryforward will expire in 2031 and $90,166,067 will expire in 2032, while the state loss carryforwards expire between 2016 and 2032.

Although the Fund currently has a net deferred tax liability, it periodically reviews the recoverability of its deferred tax assets based on the weight of available evidence. When assessing the recoverability of its deferred tax assets, significant weight is given to the effects of potential future realized and unrealized gains on investments and the period over which these deferred tax assets can be realized. Based on the Fund’s assessment, it has determined that it is more likely than not that its deferred tax asset will be realized through future taxable income of the appropriate character. Accordingly, no valuation allowance has been established for the Fund’s deferred tax asset. The Fund will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance in the future. Significant declines in the fair value of its portfolio of investments may change the Fund’s assessment regarding the recoverability of its deferred tax assets and may result in a valuation allowance. If a valuation allowance is required to reduce any deferred tax asset in the future, it could have a material impact on the Fund’s net asset value and results of operations in the period it is recorded.

At November 30, 2012, the cost basis of investments for Federal income tax purposes was $1,391,694,778. At November 30, 2012, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation of investments for Federal income tax purposes were as follows:

Report of independent registered public accounting firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders
ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc.:

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc., including the schedule of investments, as of November 30, 2012, and the related statements of operations and cash flows for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the years in the two-year period then ended and the period from June 25, 2010 (commencement of operations) to November 30, 2010. These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of November 30, 2012, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers or by other appropriate auditing procedures. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. as of November 30, 2012, the results of its operations and cash flows for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the years in the two-year period then ended and the period from June 25, 2010 (commencement of operations) to November 30, 2010, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

New York, New York
January 24, 2013

Commodity exchange act regulation exclusion (unaudited)

The Fund is operated by persons who have claimed an exclusion, granted to operators of registered investment companies like the Fund, from registration as a “commodity pool operator” with respect to the Fund under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”), and, therefore, are not subject to registration or regulation with respect to the Fund under the CEA. As a result, effective December 31, 2012, the Fund is limited in its ability to use commodity futures (which include futures on broad-based securities indexes and interest rate futures) (collectively, “commodity interests”) or options on commodity futures, engage in certain swaps transactions or make certain other investments (whether directly or indirectly through investments in other investment vehicles) for purposes other than “bona fide hedging,” as defined in the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. With respect to transactions other than for bona fide hedging purposes, either: (1) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the Fund’s positions in such investments may not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments); or (2) the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, the Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the futures, options or swaps markets.

Board approval of management and subadvisory agreements (unaudited)

Background

The Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), requires that the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. (the “Fund”), including a majority of its members that are not considered to be “interested persons” under the 1940 Act (the “Independent Directors”) voting separately, approve on an annual basis the continuation of the investment management contract (the “Management Agreement”) with the Fund’s manager, Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (the “Manager”), and the sub-advisory agreement (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”) with the Manager’s affiliate, ClearBridge Investments, LLC (formerly ClearBridge Advisors, LLC) (the “Sub-Adviser”). At a meeting (the “Contract Renewal Meeting”) held in-person on November 7 and 8, 2012, the Board, including the Independent Directors, considered and approved the continuation of each of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for an additional one-year term. To assist in its consideration of the renewals of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board received and considered a variety of information (together with the information provided at the Contract Renewal Meeting, the “Contract Renewal Information”) about the Manager and the Sub-Adviser, as well as the management and sub-advisory arrangements for the Fund and the other closed-end funds in the same complex under the Board’s supervision (collectively, the “Legg Mason Closed-end Funds”), certain portions of which are discussed below. A presentation made by the Manager and the Sub-Adviser to the Board at the Contract Renewal Meeting in connection with its evaluations of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement encompassed the Fund and other Legg Mason Closed-end Funds. In addition to the Contract Renewal Information, the Board received performance and other information throughout the year related to the respective services rendered by the Manager and the Sub-Adviser to the Fund. The Board’s evaluation took into account the information received throughout the year and also reflected the knowledge and familiarity gained as members of the Board of the Fund and other Legg Mason Closed-end Funds with respect to the services provided to the Fund by the Manager and the Sub-Adviser.

The Manager provides the Fund with investment advisory and administrative services pursuant to the Management Agreement and the Sub-Adviser provides the Fund with certain investment sub-advisory services pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The discussion below covers both the advisory and administrative functions being rendered by the Manager, each such function being encompassed by the Management Agreement, and the investment sub-advisory functions being rendered by the Sub-Adviser.

Board approval of management agreement and sub-advisory agreement

In its deliberations regarding renewal of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board, including the Independent Directors, considered the factors below.

Nature, extent and quality of the services under the management agreement and sub-advisory agreement

The Board received and considered Contract Renewal Information regarding the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund by the Manager and the Sub-Adviser under the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, respectively, during the past year. The Board also reviewed Contract Renewal Information regarding the Fund’s compliance policies and procedures established pursuant to the 1940 Act.

The Board reviewed the qualifications, backgrounds and responsibilities of the Fund’s senior personnel and the portfolio management team primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund. The Board also considered, based on its knowledge of the Manager and its affiliates, the Contract Renewal Information and the Board’s discussions with the Manager and the Sub-Adviser at the Contract Renewal Meeting, the general reputation and investment performance records of the Manager and the Sub-Adviser and their affiliates and the financial resources available to the corporate parent of the Manager and the Sub-Adviser, Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”), to support their activities in respect of the Fund and the other Legg Mason Closed-end Funds.

The Board considered the responsibilities of the Manager and the Sub-Adviser under the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, respectively, including the Manager’s coordination and oversight of the services provided to the Fund by the Sub-Adviser and others. The Management Agreement permits the Manager to delegate certain of its responsibilities, including its investment advisory duties thereunder, provided that the Manager, in each case, will supervise the activities of the delegee. Pursuant to this provision of the Management Agreement, the Manager does not provide day-to-day portfolio management services to the Fund. Rather, portfolio management services for the Fund are provided by the Sub-Adviser pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement.

In reaching its determinations regarding continuation of the Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements, the Board took into account that Fund shareholders, in pursuing their investment goals and objectives, likely purchased their shares based upon the reputation and the investment style, philosophy and strategy of the Manager and the Sub-Adviser, as well as the resources available to the Manager and the Sub-Adviser.

Board approval of management and subadvisory agreements (unaudited) (cont’d)

In evaluating the nature, extent and quality of the investment advisory and other services provided, and which are expected to be provided, to the Fund pursuant to the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board inquired as to any impact on the Fund’s operations of significant changes in the senior management of the Manager and Legg Mason and other personnel providing services to the Fund during the past two years to the date of the Contract Renewal Meeting, including the resignation of Legg Mason’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). At the Contract Renewal Meeting, the interim CEO and other senior representatives of Legg Mason and the Manager discussed these changes with the Board and assured the Board that such changes have not resulted, and are not expected in the future to result, in any diminution in the nature, extent or quality of services provided to the Fund and that the Board of Directors of Legg Mason had undertaken a search for a permanent CEO. In addition, the Board inquired as to published reports speculating that control of Legg Mason, the Manager or certain affiliates of Legg Mason, including the Sub-Adviser, might change. The senior representatives of Legg Mason discussed these published reports with the Board, confirming Legg Mason’s continuing commitment to its current business model and its affiliations with the Manager and the Sub-Adviser.

The Board concluded that, overall, the nature, extent and quality of the management and other services provided to the Fund under the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement have been satisfactory under the circumstances.

Fund performance

The Board received and considered performance information and analyses (the “Lipper Performance Information”) for the Fund, as well as for a group of funds (the “Performance Universe”) selected by Lipper, Inc. (“Lipper”), an independent provider of investment company data. The Board was provided with a description of the methodology Lipper used to determine the similarity of the Fund with the funds included in the Performance Universe. The Performance Universe included the Fund and all leveraged and non-leveraged sector equity closed-end funds, as classified by Lipper, regardless of asset size. The Board noted that it had received and discussed with the Manager and the Sub-Adviser information throughout the year at periodic intervals comparing the Fund’s performance against its benchmarks and its peer funds as selected by Lipper.

The Lipper Performance Information comparing the Fund’s performance to that of the Performance Universe showed, among other things, that the Fund’s performance for the 1-year period ended June 30, 2012 was ranked in the second quintile of funds in the Performance Universe for that period and was better than the Performance Universe median. In the past, the Manager had advised the Board that there were varying types of sector equity funds in the Performance Universe, including health/biotechnology funds and natural

resources funds, and expressed its view that performance comparisons with funds investing in other sectors were not meaningful. The Board noted that inclusion not only of varying types of sector equity funds but leveraged and non-leveraged funds in the Performance Universe made meaningful performance comparisons difficult. The Board also considered the Fund’s performance relative to its benchmarks and in absolute terms.

Based on its review of the Fund’s performance, the Board concluded that, under the circumstances, continuation of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for an additional period not to exceed one year would be in the interests of the Fund and its shareholders.

Management fees and expense ratios

The Board reviewed and considered the management fee (the “Management Fee”) payable by the Fund to the Manager under the Management Agreement and the sub-advisory fee (the “Sub-Advisory Fee”) payable to the Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement in light of the nature, extent and overall quality of the management, investment advisory and other services provided by the Manager and the Sub-Adviser. The Board noted that the Sub-Advisory Fee is paid by the Manager, not the Fund, and, accordingly, that the retention of the Sub-Adviser does not increase the fees or expenses otherwise incurred by the Fund’s shareholders.

Additionally, the Board received and considered information and analyses prepared by Lipper (the “Lipper Expense Information”) comparing the Management Fee and the Fund’s overall expenses with those of funds in an expense group (the “Expense Group”) selected and provided by Lipper. The comparison was based upon the constituent funds’ latest fiscal years. The Expense Group consisted of the Fund and five other leveraged and unleveraged sector equity closed-end funds, as classified by Lipper. The Expense Group funds had net common share assets ranging from $258.0 million to $1.972 billion. One of the other funds in the Expense Group was larger than the Fund and four were smaller.

The Lipper Expense Information, comparing the Management Fee as well as the Fund’s actual total expenses to the Fund’s Expense Group, showed, among other things, that the Fund’s contractual Management Fee and actual Management Fee (i.e., giving effect to any voluntary fee waivers implemented by the Manager with respect to the Fund and by the managers of the other Expense Group funds), whether compared on the basis of common share assets only or on the basis of common and leveraged assets, each was ranked second lowest among the funds in the Expense Group. The Lipper Expense Information also showed that the Fund’s actual total expenses were lowest among the funds in the Expense Group on both a common share assets only and on the basis of common share and leveraged assets. Each Fund expense component was better than the Expense Group median for

Board approval of management and subadvisory agreements (unaudited) (cont’d)

that expense component. The Board noted, however, that the small number of funds and the inclusion of both leveraged and non-leveraged funds in the Expense Group made meaningful expense comparisons difficult.

The Board also reviewed Contract Renewal Information regarding fees charged by the Manager to other U.S. clients investing primarily in an asset class similar to that of the Fund, including, where applicable, institutional and separate accounts. The Board was advised that the fees paid by such institutional, separate account and other clients generally are lower, and may be significantly lower, than the Management Fee. The Contract Renewal Information discussed the significant differences in scope of services provided to the Fund and to these other clients, noting that the Fund is provided with administrative services, office facilities, Fund officers (including the Fund’s chief executive, chief financial and chief compliance officers), and that the Manager coordinates and oversees the provision of services to the Fund by other fund service providers. The Contract Renewal Information included information regarding management fees paid by open-end mutual funds in the same complex (the “Legg Mason Open-end Funds”) and that such information indicated that the management fees paid by the Legg Mason Closed-end Funds generally were higher than those paid by the Legg Mason Open-end Funds. The Manager, in response to an inquiry by the Board as to the reasons for the fee differential, provided information as to differences between the services provided to the Fund and the other Legg Mason Closed-end Funds and services provided to the Legg Mason Open-end Funds. The Board considered the fee comparisons in light of the different services provided in managing these other types of clients and funds.

Taking all of the above into consideration, the Board determined that the Management Fee and the Sub-Advisory Fee were reasonable in light of the nature, extent and overall quality of the management, investment advisory and other services provided to the Fund under the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement.

Manager profitability

The Board, as part of the Contract Renewal Information, received an analysis of the profitability to the Manager and its affiliates in providing services to the Fund for the Manager’s fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011. The Board also received profitability information with respect to the Legg Mason fund complex as a whole. In addition, the Board received Contract Renewal Information with respect to the Manager’s revenue and cost allocation methodologies used in preparing such profitability data. The Board received a report from an outside consultant engaged by the Manager that had reviewed the Manager’s revenue and cost allocation methodologies. The profitability to the Sub-Adviser was not considered to be a material factor in the Board’s considerations since the Sub-Advisory Fee is paid by the Manager. The Board did not consider the reported profitability to the

Manager in providing services to the Fund to be unreasonable in light of the nature, extent and overall quality of the investment advisory and other services provided to the Fund.

Economies of scale

The Board received and discussed Contract Renewal Information concerning whether the Manager realizes economies of scale if the Fund’s assets grow. The Board noted that because the Fund is a closed-end fund with no current plans to seek additional assets beyond maintaining its dividend reinvestment plan, any significant growth in its assets generally will occur through appreciation in the value of the Fund’s investment portfolio, rather than sales of additional shares in the Fund. The Board determined that the Management Fee structure, which incorporates no breakpoints reducing the Management Fee at specified increased asset levels, was appropriate under present circumstances.

Other benefits to the manager and the sub-adviser

The Board considered other benefits received by the Manager, the Sub-Adviser and their affiliates as a result of their relationship with the Fund and did not regard such benefits as excessive.

* * * * * *

In light of all of the foregoing and other relevant factors, the Board determined that, under the circumstances, continuation of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreements would be consistent with the interests of the Fund and its shareholders and unanimously voted to continue each Agreement for a period of one additional year.

No single factor reviewed by the Board was identified by the Board as the principal factor in determining whether to approve continuation of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, and each Board member attributed different weights to the various factors. The Independent Directors were advised by separate independent legal counsel throughout the process. Prior to the Contract Renewal Meeting, the Board received a memorandum prepared by the Manager discussing its responsibilities in connection with the proposed continuation of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement as part of the Contract Renewal Information and the Independent Directors separately received a memorandum discussing such responsibilities from their independent counsel. Prior to voting, the Independent Directors also discussed the proposed continuation of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement in private sessions with their independent legal counsel at which no representatives of the Manager were present.

Additional information (unaudited)

Information about Directors and Officers

The business and affairs of ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. (the “Fund”) are conducted by management under the supervision and subject to the direction of its Board of Directors. The business address of each Director is c/o R. Jay Gerken, 620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, New York 10018. Information pertaining to the Directors and officers of the Fund is set forth below.

Independent Directors†:

Independent Directors cont’d