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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

            Natural Resource Partners to Acquire Coastal Coal Assets
                            From El Paso Corporation
                              11/7/2002 7:58:00 AM

      HOUSTON, Nov 7, 2002 Natural Resource Partners L.P. (NRP) announced today
it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase through a wholly owned
subsidiary, mineral rights to approximately 120 millions tons of coal reserves
from subsidiaries of El Paso Corporation (EP) for $69 million in cash. The
transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain pre-closing conditions.
NRP's credit line will be utilized to finance the acquisition.

      Corbin J. Robertson, Jr., Chairman and CEO said, "We are very excited to
announce our first acquisition since becoming a publicly held partnership. We
expect the acquisition to be immediately accretive to both earnings and cash
flow upon closing."

      "These assets complement our current Evans-Laviers and Lynch properties in
Kentucky and our Sincell, Beaver Creek and Stony River properties in West
Virginia and Maryland. With the addition of these assets, our Appalachian
reserves will comprise approximately 85 % of NRP's total coal reserves of 1.27
billion tons," said Nick Carter, President.

      Over half the 120 million tons of reserves are located in Kentucky with
reserves also located in Virginia and West Virginia. Approximately 89% of the
reserves will require our lessees to employ underground mining techniques to
recover. Additionally, the transaction includes 177,000 mineral acres (including
approximately 25,000 acres of surface) which generate minor timber, lease and
oil and gas income. An overriding royalty interest in coal in North Dakota is
also being acquired. In 2003, coal production from these assets is expected to
be approximately 7 million tons. NRP will retain El Paso's Hazard, Kentucky
office and personnel to assist in the management of the properties.

      Natural Resource Partners L.P. is headquartered in Houston, TX, with
its operations headquarters in Huntington, WV. NRP is a master limited
partnership 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
timing of the transaction, additional acquisitions, immediately accretive to
both earnings and cash flow and estimated 2003 production. 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
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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.

