In addition to our royalty business, we also manage infrastructure assets. These include coal preparations plants, beltlines for transporting coal, coal load-out facilities and other transportation facilities as well as infrastructures for the aggregates business. We work with our lessees to determine their needs and with the assistance of Taggart Global and others, construct the facilities, contract someone to operate the facilities on our behalf and then, much like our royalty business, we collect either a percentage of the gross selling price or a fixed fee per ton.

In 2006 we entered into a joint venture agreement with Taggart Global, a construction company focused on construction of coal preparation plants around the globe. Under the agreement, both Taggart and NRP will generate prospective investment opportunities related to coal infrastructure.  Taggart will construct the facilities that will be owned by Natural Resource Partners. Natural Resource Partners will subcontract the operation of the facilities and will collect a fee based upon the volume of coal processed through the plant. In most cases this will be a percentage of the gross selling price of the coal.

Also in 2007, we entered into an omnibus agreement with Cline Resources that also encompasses the opportunity to purchase and own future coal preparation plants and transportation facilities on coal reserves developed by Cline in the Illinois Basis.

With new mine development and aging infrastructure in the coal industry, NRP sees coal infrastructure facilities as being a significant opportunity for growth in the future.

			Revenues ($ in thousands)
2006			$1,452
2007			$8,808
2008			$20,437
2009			$20,190
2010			$24,168