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.