EXHIBIT 99.1

NATURAL RESOURCE PARTNERS ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF ACQUISITION OF COASTAL COAL
ASSETS FROM EL PASO CORPORATION

HOUSTON, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Natural Resource Partners L.P. (NYSE:
NRP) announced today it has completed its previously announced acquisition of
certain Coastal Coal land assets from El Paso Corporation (NYSE: EP) for $57
million dollars. The purchase and sale agreement has been amended to delete
certain conditions precedent and post-closing covenants as well as granting El
Paso an overriding royalty interest in certain assets while reducing the
purchase price. The transaction also includes the leaseback of certain reserves
to Coastal Coal Company, LLC and Coastal Coal-West Virginia, LLC.

Natural Resource Partners estimates the transaction will generate between $8.0
million and $8.6 million in earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation,
depletion and amortization (EBITDA) in the first year. The partnership expects
to initially finance the transaction through its currently undrawn $100 million
credit facility. The transaction will be accretive to both cash flow and
earnings on a per unit basis.

Natural Resource Partners L.P. is headquartered in Houston, TX, with its
operations headquarters in Huntington, WV. NRP is a master limited partnership
that is principally engaged in the business of owning and managing coal
properties in the three major coal producing regions of the United States:
Appalachia, the Illinois Basin and the Powder River Basin.

For additional information, please contact Kathy Hager at 713-751-7555 or
khager@nrplp.com. Further information about NRP is available on the
partnership's website at http://www.nrplp.com.

This press release may include "forward-looking statements" as defined by the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Such statements are those concerning the
EBITDA to be generated by the transaction in the first year. All statements,
other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that
address activities, events or developments that the partnership expects,
believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking
statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the
partnership based on its experience and perception of historical trends, current
conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are
appropriate in the circumstances. Such statements are subject to a number of
assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of
the partnership. These risks include, but are not limited to, decreases in
demand for coal; changes in operating conditions and costs; production cuts by
our lessees; commodity prices; unanticipated geologic problems; changes in the
legislative or regulatory environment and other factors detailed in Natural
Resource Partners' Securities and Exchange Commission filings.